All's Fair In Love And War
by fornwalt
Summary: A war is on, Humans vs. Demons. Kagome, the general's daughter, is caught in the middle! Inuyasha is the general for the demon side, and when the two meet, unexpected things will happen. You can't love someone from the other side! Rated for later referenc
1. Welcome to Boot Camp

A/N: Hi! Ok, I'm back! Second published Inuyasha story is now up and running! I'd like to thank a very good friend of mine, Laureney, for helping me put this story together! Thanks! So, on with the story! Hope you enjoy it!

* * *

All's Fair In Love and War

Chapter 1

"Kagome, Kagome wake up!" Sota cried, jumping on his eighteen year old sister's bed. Kagome groaned and opened her eyes.

"Sota? What's wrong?"

"The head of the town has called an emergency meeting, something about demons!" Sota said excitedly.

"Emergency meeting!" Kagome jumped out of bed and ran to get some clothes. Sota nodded.

"Yeah, it's starting in a little bit, so better hurry. Mom's already down there helping prepare it."

Sota and Kagome Higurashi were the children of Yumiko Higurashi, a very powerful warrior and miko of the eastern lands. She was a fable, a mere tale for children to aspire to, but she was real to everyone Lady Kaede's village. Yumiko was also the king's general of war. She hadn't fought in many years, however, but she still trained her children in the ways of martial arts and magic.

Kagome had the ability to become a priestess, and her mother instantly put her under the teaching of Lady Kaede, the village head. Though Yumiko was indeed a miko herself, she was in no way knowledgeable of teaching someone. Sota was known as the village warrior, and all the children of the town looked up to him. Even though he was only thirteen, he had the skills of a man of twenty.

"Ok, I'm ready!" Kagome cried, following her brother out the door of their house and up the hill to Kaede's house. She could already see a small crowd gathering in front of the old priestess's house, and she and her brother eagerly pushed their way to the front. Yumiko was visible from there, and Kagome could see she was talking feverishly with Kaede. The two children walked up to Yumiko.

"What's happening, mom?" Kagome asked. Yumiko turned to face her daughter.

"Ah Kagome, you're awake. Sometime horrible has happened. We're going to have to leave instantly." Yumiko explained hurriedly.

"What? Why?" Sota looked curiously at his mother.

"The king has declared war on the demons of the eastern valley. He's called me back to the palace to once again take my role as general." Yumiko opened the letter and reread it. Kaede smiled at Kagome.

"You'll be going with her, lass." The old priestess said. "When at war, we need all the help we can get."

"But I don't have any experience in war!" Kagome cried.

"You're a skilled miko, and your powers far surpass my own. You're the daughter of the general, and you're the best miko the king has. So, you're required to go as well." Kaede said. Kagome let this sink in as Sota spoke.

"Do I get to go to war too?"

Kaede glanced at Yumiko gravely. "Yes, Sota. You are going to war. All able boys above the age of twelve are leaving."

"Yes!" Sota punched the air. "I finally get to show off my skills!"

"Sota, going to war isn't a good thing!" Yumiko scolded her son. "Luckily because of your age, you'll only be backup in case things get really rough. Hopefully you won't even have to fight."

"Ah man…" Sota frowned.

"When do we leave, mom?" Kagome had recovered from her shock.

"Noon."

* * *

_Noon… That's so soon!_ Kagome thought as she packed all of her belongings into a leather bag. Her mother's words flashed through her mind. 

"_Be sure to bring _all_ of your clothes, because I'm not sure when we're going to be back. Pack anything and everything you feel is important to you."_

"That makes me feel so much better…" Kagome sighed and stood up. She glanced around her room and fingered the jewel around her neck. Her grandfather had given it to her on his deathbed, and made her promise never to let anyone else get a hold of it. Since then it had been her most prized possession, and she was always careful not to let anyone else see it.

"Ready Kagome?" Sota came to her door and peeked inside. He was carrying all of his stuff in a small bag as well.

"Yeah. I'll be out." Kagome sighed and picked up her bow and arrow. Miko skills were great, but it was impossible for someone as young as her to fight only with those. She would kill herself trying. Bow and arrows were the only solution, because Kagome had such a killer aim with them.

"Ok, come on." Sota led her out of her room and out into the fresh morning air. She turned around and got one last glimpse of the house before following her brother to the horses.

"Kagome, Sota, are you all packed?" Yumiko asked when she saw her children emerge from the house. Both nodded. "Good. Come on, get on a horse and we're heading out."

Kagome surveyed the people her mother had chosen to go to war as well. She noticed several of the village boys, including Koga and Hojo, both of whom had had a crush on her when she was younger. She noticed Sota's best friend, Kohaku, and his sister, Sango. Kaede wasn't going, apparently she was too old to go to war, but Kagome noticed several of the other villagers on horses as well.

"So many people…" Kagome whispered as she walked over to Sango and Kohaku.

"Kagome!" Sango said to her best friend. Kagome smiled and took the horse closest to the demon slayer. Sota followed suit, steering his horse over to Kohaku.

"Hi Sango." Kagome said, getting comfortable on her chestnut brown horse. "What about this, hmm?"

"I know! They're sending Kohaku and Sota off to war and they both just turned thirteen! I can understand me, because I come from a family of demon slayers, and you, because you're a miko, but they just so young!" Sango shook her head.

"Yeah. Sota's actually excited about this. He says that he can't wait to use his skills on something other then rabbits and deer."

"Same with Kohaku. I have a feeling that will change when they see just how devastating war can be." Sango sighed.

"I hope so." Kagome nodded. "It's not a good thing to go to war in excitement."

"Yeah, but I heard a rumor that only the older men and a few skilled women will have to fight." Sango looked at Kagome curiously to see if she could confirm this rumor.

"That's what I heard. My mom agrees with it, and she said that the younger boys would only fight if the going gets _really_ rou—" Kagome was cut off by her mother's powerful voice.

"Ok, troops! It's noon, move out!"

"And so it begins…" Sango whispered to Kagome.

* * *

Inuyasha sighed. _Another war meeting… I swear, those humans cause us too much trouble._ He made his way down a long hallway to the door at the end. On it was the words, "War Room". _It's like they have to announce it to the world._ He commented sarcastically as he opened the doors. 

"Ah, General Inuyasha." A demon with a very powerful aura stood up and did a slight bow. "So good of you to show up this time."

Inuyasha chuckled. "Same goes to you, King Seiji." The king always had a way of lightening his mood. Inuyasha nodded to all the other demons in the room and took his seat by the king.

"As I was saying, the humans have decided to wage war. I have a feeling that the humans will put up a much bigger fight then last time." A few chuckles ran throughout the room. Last time the war was over within a week. "We need to round up all able demons to come and report to General Inuyasha for training before we head to the battlefield. Know that every demon within the age of fifty and seven hundred are liable to go."

"Every demon, my lord?" One of the messengers asked. "Against mortals? Is it really necessary to pull them all out?"

The king nodded. "I'm afraid so. The humans have a new general this time, and apparently she's a miko and a warrior. She's the one who took out the whole group of demons on Halloween fifteen years back."

A few demons shuddered. Inuyasha frowned; that mere mortal had taken out about twenty demons single handedly, and she hadn't even broken a sweat. It caused a large commotion on the demon side for several weeks afterward. That miko was famous, and she was commonly sought after. To capture her would be a prize like no other.

"Yes, so we need to be even more on our guard this time. We can't let our senses down even for a minute, lest we get captured by this miko." King Seiji held up a rough carving of Yumiko and showed the demons in the room. "If you see her, stay clear, because she will certainly kill you.

The king held up another picture, this time of Kagome. "Also, this girl has a daughter as well. She was but a tyke when those foolish demons attacked fifteen years ago, but now the daughter is eighteen. From what I hear by our sources, she is an even more powerful miko then her mother, and she'll be in battle as well. Do wise around her, for we don't know what she's capable of." He put that picture down and pulled another one up. This one was of a young man wearing monk robes and holding his hand out.

"This man is called Miroku. About fifty years ago a demon that called himself Naraku punctured his ancestor's left hand. Now there's a devastating hellhole there, called the 'Wind Tunnel'. This monk is probably just as dangerous as Yumiko because of the hellhole. If you get too close, the man will unleash it, and any demon or human who gets close will be sucked in and killed instantly. Not even their body will remain. Be wary of him as well.

"So, go and get all able demons to report to General Inuyasha within a week. He will train them, and when the humans attack, we'll be ready." King Seiji stood up, signifying that his speech was over. All the other demons left the room to do his bidding. Inuyasha was about to leave when the king pulled him aside.

"Inuyasha, I have something important to tell you." The king's eyes softened. "I'm sorry, but the queen and I have decided to restrict you from battle."

"What?" Inuyasha screeched.

"I'm sorry, but we can't bear it if anything happened to you. You're like a son to us, and if you got wounded in battle we'd never forgive ourselves. Plus if something happened to you, we'd be out of a general, and no one would be able to train our troops." The king shook his head.

"So?" Inuyasha spat. "You let me compete in the last war!"

"That was fifty years ago, and things have changed. This new general will be tough to take down, and we don't want you to get cocky like you sometimes do." King Seiji said. "I'm sorry, but when the battles begin, you will be restricted to the palace. End of discussion."

"But—"

"That's an order." The king said, using his royal power to end the talk. Inuyasha fell silent, and stormed out of the room angrily. The king watched him go.

"I don't want anything to happen to our only heir…" He whispered. (A/N: No, Inuyasha does not know about being an heir. Let's just say that the king and queen have no children so they chose him to be the next king, 'conveniently' forgetting to tell him.)

* * *

Kagome smirked. She had been to the palace once before, and it never ceased to amaze her by it's size. As her village entered the gates, she looked over to see Sango practically drooling over the rich palace guards and their expensive weapons. The young demon slayer was great in her profession, but she had yet to choose a weapon to her liking. Hopefully she would get a chance here. 

"All soldiers, report to the barracks to get your bed and uniform. You will be instructed further after that." Yumiko called loudly. Groaning slightly, the villagers moved their horses to the barracks. Kagome and Sota trotted over to their mother.

"Do we go with them, mom?" Sota asked.

"No, you two will be rooming with me. Come on." She dismounted her horse and motioned for her children to do the same. Once two stable boys came to lead their horses away, Yumiko led Kagome and Sota into the large palace. "My room is always on the second floor. I'm afraid you'll have to get used to it yourself; I'm supposed to meet the king for a short conference before we start training." Yumiko walked up the stairs to the second floor. "My room is the third door on the right. You'll find two cots set up in there as well, and feel free to put your stuff in the dresser by the bed."

"Ok." Kagome and Sota waved to their mother as she continued up to the third floor, where the king had his conferences. Once she was gone, they made their way to the indicated door.

"When do you think the war'll officially begin?" Sota asked. Kagome thought for a moment.

"Probably not for another month or so. The new recruits have to train, and the demons will take a while to get ready as well. War isn't a sudden thing." Kagome said grimly. Sota shrugged.

"Works for me. After we get settled down, let's go to the barracks. Kohaku heard that all the new soldiers get to pick new weapons, or get theirs inspected if they already have one. I want a really cool sword!" Sota said eagerly. Kagome shook her head and walked over to her bed.

"Whatever. Hopefully mom'll figure out where we are." Kagome set her stuff down and smiled at Sota's happy disposition.

* * *

The barracks were large. They easily took up half the courtyard, and as Kagome and Sota looked for Sango and Kohaku, they realized that there were quite a few men and women around. Most looked at Kagome, realizing the resemblance to their general, but Sota wasn't paying attention. 

"Kohaku!" The boy ran over to his friend.

"Hey Sota! We lost you when we went to the barracks." Kohaku stated. Sango came up behind him and smiled at Kagome.

"Yeah, we wondered where you were."

"We were in my mom's room. Apparently we're supposed to sleep with her, but right now she's at a meeting with the king." Kagome explained.

"Ah." Sango looked around. "Come on, let's go to the armory before all the good weapons get taken!"

"Ok!" Sota looked especially happy about that. Kagome shook her head and shifted the supply of arrows on her back.

"All right, let's go." She said, leading the way out of the barracks. Sango, Kohaku, and Sota followed her. Kagome was the only one who knew her way around the castle, because she had come here when she was about six. Sota had come as well, but he was only one when that happened, so he didn't remember much. "The armory is this way." She led them down one hallway and past a lot of elegant looking doors to the one that said 'armory' above it. "In here."

"What was your first clue?" Sota asked sarcastically. Sango and Kohaku chuckled; Kagome shot daggers at her brother and opened the door.

The armory was a large place, and it was fairly empty. Swords, bows and arrows, staffs, and several other types of weapons littered the walls. Sota and Kohaku immediately walked over to the swords, their faces lit up in awe. Kagome sighed and walked over to the man who was running it. Sango followed.

"Excuse me." Kagome said to the man. He turned around and frowned.

"Little girl, this isn't any place for you." He said gruffly. Kagome huffed in anger.

"I'll have you know I'm eighteen. That's much too old to be called a 'little girl'. And, we're here to get weapons for the war." She put her hands on her hips and glared at the man. He surveyed Sango and Kagome with raised eyebrows.

"They'll let anybody in war these days…" He shook his head and sighed. "All right, what do you need?"

"I need my bows and arrows checked, and my friend is looking for a sturdy weapon to use." Kagome held out her bow and arrows. The man took them and began inspecting.

"Give me a minute, and if your friend needs a weapon, just pick one off the wall. There're plenty." He said before turning his back on the two girls. Kagome shrugged and began inspecting the weapons.

"Any idea what kind you want, Sango?" She asked.

"I want it to be different, something that no one else uses. I want it to be suitable to the demon slayer custom. Also, I want two swords to use in case that weapon failed." Sango explained. Kagome thought for a moment before picking up two plain swords.

"Like these?" She asked. Sango picked one out of her hands and tried a few stunts with it.

"This'll work." She said.

"Good. Now, let's go about looking for t—" Kagome stopped as she noticed Sango walking slowly towards a weapon in the corner. She picked it up and dusted it off.

"It's perfect…" She whispered.

"What?" Kagome walked over to her and looked at the weapon she had chosen. It was literally a boomerang, but it came up to about her chest. When Kagome tried to pick it up, she found it was extremely heavy. "What is it?"

"That's a Hiraikotsu." The man was finished inspecting Kagome's bow and arrows. "By the way, these are fine." He pushed them towards her. Kagome took them and turned back to Sango.

"Hiraikotsu?" She repeated. Sango said nothing; she was too in awe of the weapon.

"Yes. It's a large boomerang that was commonly used by demon slayers about fifty years ago. Nowadays, though, no one that I've seen can use it properly. You'd best pick a different weapon, girl. That's made of demon bones and it's too advanced a weapon for you."

Sango wasn't listening. She picked up the boomerang and smiled. "I'll take it!"

"Weren't you listening? I said that it's too heavy for you to use properly! Go pick out a sword or something." He scowled when Sango didn't put it down. "You know what? If you can prove to me that you can wield it, feel free to take it."

"I will." Sango walked to the door. "Come on, you'll see just how good I can use it."

"What is this world coming to?" The man muttered as he followed Sango outside. Kagome grinned and walked over to Kohaku and Sota.

"Found anything?" She asked.

"Yeah. Look at this!" Kohaku showed her a weapon. It was a metal blade that curved in the middle. At the end was a long chain with a weight at the end. "I like this one. Sango told me to get two swords as well, so I chose these." He showed her two plain swords like the one Sango had chosen.

"Good, good. And you, Sota?" Kagome turned her attention to her brother.

"I found this sword. I really like it." Sota held up a rather large sword. It looked extremely sharp, and had a green handle at the bottom.

"Ok, then. Those look great." Kagome praised her brother and his friend as Sango and the man walked back in.

"Sango! How did you do?" Kagome asked her friend eagerly.

"Let's just say it'll take a lot to wrestle this weapon off me." Sango said smugly. The man looked a bit dazed as he checked out all of their weapons.

"You must have really gotten him shocked." Kagome said as she walked out of the armory.

"I did. I don't know, it's just when I picked up this weapon, it felt . . . right. Like it was my destiny to wield it!" Sango smiled happily, patting the Hiraikotsu on her back.

"Well, you won't have to wait long, we're going to war in less then a month." Yumiko walked around the corner and smirked. "Hope you're ready."

* * *

A/N: Ok, I hope you all liked that! I really couldn't resist having Kagome's mom such a headstrong figure. It just seemed to fit with Kagome's personality as well. Miroku will be coming in the next chapter! Listens as the crowd cheers So, hope you're all ready! (quoting the last line) Thanks again, Lauerney! And you see that button down there? It's just aching to be pressed. REVIEW!  



	2. War!

A/N: Hi! Ok, this is really rare. For all of you who are coming back from my last story, "Dude, Where're My Kids?", you know that it usually takes me about two weeks to get another chapter out. But, it's a four day weekend, and I'm bored. Really bored. So, here's the next chapter. It should be a good length, and if you found something that you liked or didn't like, or something that is unclear, WRITE ME A REVIEW! Contrary to popular belief, I DO check my reviews daily, and I know how many people read my story vs. How many people reviewed. So, please review so I know what to continue or what to stop doing. Thanks! Please enjoy!

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All's Fair in Love and War

Inuyasha grumbled. _I can't believe he won't let me fight…_ He thought. _Well, no king is going to keep me from battle!_ Inuyasha smirked rebelliously as he made his way down the hallways. He opened one of the doors that led to a balcony overlooking the courtyards. He stood at the edge of the balcony and looked over the demons that had lined up below him. He saw old demons, veterans that had seen many a battle, and he saw demons just barely fifty. He shook his head as the king walked up beside him.

"What do you think, Inuyasha?" King Seiji asked. Inuyasha continued to survey the demons before turning towards the king.

"This is a pitiful group of demons. Can I be excused?" He asked. King Seiji raised an eyebrow and laughed.

"You said that last time we were at war as well, and look how you handled them."

Inuyasha scowled. "What did we do to get into war anyway?"

"Apparently the humans have had enough of us raiding their villages." King Seiji shook his head. "Like they have a choice what we raid."

"It's our right as the superior species." Inuyasha grumbled. "They should just let us continue it…"

"True, true. But you know mortals. Stubborn as demons, every last one of them." King Seiji turned his attention towards the army of demons below them. "Go on, start training."

Inuyasha scowled and jumped off the balcony to the ground below. Instantly silence fell over the army. Inuyasha straightened up and glared at the demons. "All right, troops. My job is to make you all fit for war. No questions, no comments. You will all eat, sleep, and fight when _I_ tell you. Is that clear?"

No one spoke. Inuyasha was about to split the group up and start training when a lesser demon walked forward. "Yes?" Inuyasha spat.

The demon straightened up before speaking. "You are but a mere half-demon! Why should I follow _anything_ you say!"

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. _Great, a defiant one._ "You refuse to go under my command?"

The demon nodded as some of the veterans took a few steps back, knowing what was about to happen. Inuyasha looked back up at the king as if to get permission to kill the demon.

"Don't kill him, Inuyasha. We need all the demons we can get." King Seiji ordered. Inuyasha's ears twitched and he turned back around to face the demon.

"Fine. Let me demonstrate my power to you." He turned to a large boulder and unsheathed his sword. (A/N: In this story, Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga transforms at any time he pulls it out, it doesn't matter if there's a human to protect or not.) Immediately the demons in his way moved out of range. "Wind Scar!" He pulled the sword down as five light streaks raced towards the boulder. When the dust cleared, there was no boulder, just a small pile of rubble.

"Any more questions?" Inuyasha snarled. The demon shook his head and jumped back into line. "Good. Now, does any one else want to get me even more angry!"

"Sir no sir!" The demons chanted.

"Good. Veterans over there, newbies over there!" Inuyasha said, pointing to two different places. Immediately there was a scuffle as the demons hurried to do his bidding. Inuyasha walked over to where the veterans were and stood in front of them. "Now, since you have experience, start dueling. _Don't kill, just get practice._" Inuyasha said the last part extra loud so everyone would hear it. "If anyone kills, then they can expect no future."

"Yes sir!" Rang out from the demons. Inuyasha nodded his head.

"Continue." He then went to the newbies. "Who here has had experience fighting?" Several calls rang out, and Inuyasha held up his hands.

"Let me rephrase that. Who here has _not_ had any fighting experience?"

No one moved. Inuyasha smirked. "Seems that I got a good batch this time. All right, those boulders over there are for practice! Use them!"

Within an instant the boulders were destroyed. Inuyasha nodded his approval. "Good." _And so it begins…_ He thought.

Kagome stood in line, looking up at her mother. Sota and Kohaku stood on her left side, Sango was on her right.

"Welcome!" Her mother started. Kagome chuckled, even though she was a great fighter, she was too nice sometimes. "I hope you all got your weapons in the two days we gave you off. Now comes the fun part.

"You will all be training in different places, depending on your special abilities. There's no time to waste, we go to war in a month! Now, I need mikos and monks over here, adults with fighting ability over there, adults with no fighting ability over there, and children fifteen and under over here." Yumiko smiled as everyone moved to where she indicated. Kagome waved to Sango, Sota, and Kohaku and went to where her mother had pointed. She saw about two-dozen mikos along with about a handful of monks. Yumiko walked over to her group first.

"All right, now. This," She motioned to a monk with dark purple robes on, "Is Miroku. He will be instructing you all in your spiritual abilities. Treat him as you would me, and be sure to obey what he says. Don't fool around, magic is a dangerous thing when not used properly. And beware of Miroku; he's a bit of a pervert. Good luck!" She waved and walked to another group. Miroku stood and walked over to them.

"Hello. Please don't be alarmed, I commit no perverted acts when on duty, and I'm not as strict as General Yumiko." He said. A few chuckles ran throughout the group. "However, she is right, magic is dangerous. That is why I'm going to be going through the group to check on everyone's magical ability. We don't want a beginner trying something too advanced." He walked up to the first person, a female miko. After a moment, he nodded, muttered, "Intermediate." To the girl, and walked on. This went on for a while, and Kagome was getting impatient. She turned to the girl next to her and smiled.

"Hi, I'm Kagome." She held out her hand. The girl turned around, and Kagome blinked. This girl looked like a mirror image of her!

"Kikyo." The girl said stuffily, ignoring Kagome's hand. Kagome frowned and withdrew it.

"Nice to meet you, Kikyo." She said, trying to start a conversation. "What do you think about this?"

"War? It's fine." She said airily. Kagome scowled, she didn't like this girl very much.

"How long have you been training as a miko?" Kagome tried again.

"Since I was able to walk." Kikyo grinned in an I'm-better-then- you-and-I-know-it way.

"Really? Me too." Kagome couldn't help but show off to the girl as well. Miroku walked up to the pair and chuckled.

"My my, twins!" He stated. Kagome glared at him.

"We are _not_ twins." Kikyo said. "An idiot could figure that out." Miroku didn't look taken aback, instead he flashed a charming smile.

"Well, my mistake." He said. "This will only take a minute." He set his hand on Kikyo's forehead and for a second it glowed a faint pink before he removed it. "My my, such power. Very good, you're with the advanced group. Over there." He pointed to a small group of about four people.

"Yeah, I know." Kikyo said smartly before stalking off. Kagome glared at her retreating form.

"Goodness, what a girl." Miroku said in a dazed voice. Kagome faced him once more.

"Uh, Miroku?"

"Hmm? Oh, right. Sorry." Miroku grinned sheepishly and set his hand on her forehead. Instantly her vision was filled with a light blue tint, and she closed her eyes to escape it. As she did that, the Shikon Jewel around her neck began to glow slightly.

"Wow." Miroku stated. Kagome opened her eyes to see her normal vision had come back again. She smiled at that, then noticed the way Miroku was looking at her. Actually, he seemed to be looking at her breasts.

"Pervert!" She screamed, slapping him. Miroku shook his head and frowned.

"What!" He asked. Kagome glared at him.

"I thought you said you didn't do that when you were on duty!"

"Huh?" Miroku thought for a moment. "Oh, that. No, I don't. I was, in fact, looking at that extraordinary necklace that you have."

"Necklace?" She asked, looking down at the jewel. "Oh, that."

"Yes. Might I ask where you got such a thing?"

"My grandfather gave it to me." She said. Before Miroku could respond, a hand was put on Kagome's shoulder.

"Miroku, what did you do to my daughter?" Yumiko raised an eyebrow.

"Me?" Miroku asked innocently. "What makes you think _I_ did something, Lady Yumiko?"

"That's General Yumiko to you." She corrected. "And I know you did something because I could hear her scream all the way over there." She pointed to where one of the adult classes was staring at them. Kagome blushed.

"Sorry, mom." She said. Miroku grinned.

"I should have known that such powerful magic could only come from your daughter, _General_ Yumiko." Miroku said mockingly. Yumiko shook her head.

"You never change, Miroku. Get back to your task at hand. And keep your perverted hands off my daughter!" Yumiko glared at Miroku before walking back to her group. Kagome smiled at her mother and turned back to the monk in front of her.

"Hmm. A threat from the general. Interesting." Miroku grinned and tuned back to Kagome. "Ahem. In any case, you're in the advanced class. Good luck." He waved and walked off. Kagome stared in disbelief at him before shaking her head and walking over to the advanced group and Kikyo.

"What a day…" Kagome muttered to Sota as she collapsed on the bed. After she had joined the advanced group, Miroku had made them run twice around the _very large_ courtyard, saying it was to build endurance. Then he had each of them set a shield up, timing how fast they were able to do it. Kagome could get one up in less then five seconds, which was, to her satisfaction, two seconds faster then Kikyo. Then he took them to the archery fields because everyone in the advanced class preferred to use bows and arrows to anything. Finally, he had ended the day with teaching them to conjure fireballs and making them run another lap around the courtyard. "If I see Miroku one more time, I swear I will kill him."

Sota laughed. "At least you got to do something! All we did was practice with our new weapons. It was boring." Kagome bit her lip and looked at her brother in envy. She was about to say something when someone knocked on the door.

"You get it, I'm too tired." Kagome said. Sota shrugged and walked up to answer the door. Kagome closed her eyes and listened to the conversation.

"Hi!" Sota was saying. Someone else said something quietly. "Kagome? Yeah, she's here. Who are you?" More mumbling, then, "Miroku! Kagome's been talking about you! Come in!" Sota beamed and let the monk in. Kagome sat up and shot daggers at her little brother.

"I'll get you for this." She muttered to him before smiling at Miroku. "Hi, Miroku. What brings you here?"

"Your necklace, Lady Kagome." Miroku pulled up a chair and sat down. Sota sat down on his cot, eyeing Kagome. Of course he and his mother knew about the necklace, but he didn't think that anyone else did.

"Uh, this?" She pulled off the necklace and set it on the bed.

"Yes. Do you know what that is?"

"Something called the Shikon Jewel?" Kagome asked.

Miroku nodded. "That is the Shikon Jewel, or the Jewel of Four Souls. Legend has it that whoever possesses it wields great power, and that if it falls into the hands of a demon, terrible things could occur. Judging by what power you demonstrated today, I'd say that the legends are true."

"Power?" Kagome trailed off as Miroku spoke again.

"Yes, power of unimaginable proportions. If that is indeed the Shikon Jewel as we are led to suspect, you might just be the key to winning the war." Miroku stated. Silence rang throughout the room as Kagome thought this over.

"Wait, Kagome being the key to winning the war?" Sota repeated. "Wow. You sure are lucky, sis."

"Uh huh…" Kagome said weakly, inspecting the jewel. Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and Kagome quickly put the jewel back around her head, tucking it in her shirt. Moments later, Sango barged in with Kohaku in tow.

"Kagome!" She called. "Kago—"

"Sango!" Kagome interrupted. "I'm right here."

"Oh, good." Sango smiled and climbed onto the bed. Kohaku broke from her hold and ran to Sota, muttering something about a 'deathly terrifying sister' and a 'maniac relative'.

"What's up? You sound urgent." Kagome asked. Miroku blinked, forgotten.

"Nothing. I just felt like making a scene. So, how was training?"

"Good. Except Miroku over there worked our butts off so now I can hardly move!" Kagome glared at the monk. Sango looked over her shoulder and jumped in surprise.

"Kagome, there's a man in your room!" She said. Kagome sighed.

"Thank you, Sango." She said sarcastically. "This is Miroku, he's my training master."

Sango stood up and walked around Miroku, inspecting him. "Hmm. A monk, eh?" She grinned. "You go for all the noble men." Kagome blushed.

"It's not like that!" She insisted angrily. Miroku grabbed Sango's hands and got on one knee. He dropped his professional manner and looked up at her with vibrant purple eyes.

"Sango, your name was? I have an important question."

Sango blushed fiercely, looking at Kagome for support. Kagome shrugged, and Sango was left on her own. Kohaku and Sota giggled. "Uh, yes?"

"Will you consider bearing my children?" _Slap!_ Miroku stood up, sporting a large red mark shaped like a handprint on his cheek.

"You're deranged!" Sango shouted.

"Me?" Miroku put on that innocent look again, and Sango rolled her eyes.

"Did I mention Miroku is a bit of a pervert?" Kagome asked, chuckling. Sango gave Kagome a look that could peel paint.

"No, you _conveniently _forgot!"

"This will be the start of a weird friendship." Kohaku whispered to Sota, who nodded.

"It's so obvious."

Inuyasha smirked as he watched his new army. The king walked up behind him and grinned as well.

"Nicely done, Inuyasha. You've worked wonders in four weeks." King Seiji surveyed the strong demons with an approving glance. "They will do nicely. Come, we move at midnight."

"Good, I'm aching for a fight." Inuyasha said.

"In case you've forgotten, you're restricted to your room. I'm sorry, but we have to do this."

Inuyasha growled angrily. "You still haven't seen reason! I'm perfectly capable of fighting!"

"I know you are, but we can't risk losing our only general. This is the way it has to be. Report back to your room while I ready the troops."

Inuyasha turned and stormed off, muttering curses under his breath.

Four weeks passed extremely fast. Miroku and Sango became friends, but it was a rocky relationship. Kagome poked and prodded them to take it to the next step, because it was obvious that Sango was beginning to fall for the lecherous monk. Of course, when Sango realized what she was doing, she vowed to get the girl back, telling her that Kagome was number 1 on her 'hit and kill' list. Kagome just giggled and continued to interfere.

Training went well, and it was easy to see the progression in the troops. They went from rookies to professional in whatever they did, but Yumiko constantly said that they could get so much better in another month. Unfortunately, they didn't have another month; war was fast approaching.

Kagome's own abilities far surpassed everyone else. She managed to throw up a shield in less then two seconds, which was fast enough to protect herself from an oncoming demon or enemy arrows. She could produce a large fireball on command, and once managed to almost destroy the stables. Luckily they put the fire out in time, and instead of being mad, Miroku had complemented her on the large fire. She learned how to engulf one of her arrows with her spiritual power, which made them several times deadlier.

Finally war was upon them.

Kagome awoke from her sleep to the castle bells. "Whazz happenin?" She mumbled. Yumiko was already out of bed, putting on her armor.

"The alarm bell! Demons must have made a move. Get up, you two, war is here." Yumiko said urgently. Kagome was up and awake instantly.

"War?" She asked, wrestling into the special armor mikos were given.

"Yes. You know, that thing that you've been training for for the last four weeks?" Yumiko pulled Sota out of bed and whispered something to him. His eyes broke open and he grinned madly.

"Finally!" He cried happily. Yumiko frowned at his eager behavior but said nothing.

"Hurry up, kids. We leave in fifteen minutes." She said, rushing from the room.

When Sota and Kagome met Sango and Kohaku moments later, they were surprised at the large army. It hadn't looked this big when they were practicing.

"All right, troops! Move out! Be prepared for war, death, and victory!" Yumiko cried. Several loud yells echoed the air. "Good luck! VICTORY TO HUMANS!" She screamed.

"VICTORY TO HUMANS!" The army yelled. Yumiko jumped on her horse and galloped out of the castle as the gates opened.

"Good luck, mother." Kagome whispered a prayer silently.

"Don't worry, General Yumiko won't be hurt." Miroku came up behind them. "She's too good for that."

"Miroku, what are you doing here?"

"Preparing for battle." Miroku answered as the first line walked out of the castle, including Kagome, Miroku, and Sango.

"Oh." Kagome grinned sheepishly. She still couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling in her gut as she walked out. "Good luck to you too, Miroku."

"Same to you, Lady Kagome." Miroku nodded and rode on his horse over to Yumiko, as did four other people. Kagome guessed they were trainers like Miroku.

"Don't worry, Kagome, it'll be ok." Sango put her hand on the girls shoulder as the army came to a halt.

There were the demons. Kagome was honestly surprised at how large their army was. It was just as big, if not bigger, then the humans. There were demons in the air, on the ground, hiding in the forest on the right of them, and swimming in the ocean on the left. All of them looked extremely skilled, and Kagome felt fear rising in her chest. She shook her head and banished it. _This is what we trained for; let's make it count!_

Suddenly an arrow was shot, from which side Kagome couldn't tell. That was all it took, however, and the first battle had begun.

"Dammit!" (A/N: I don't approve of cussing, nor will you hear me do it in real life, but to give the story a more real sense, I am forced to do it anyway.) Inuyasha threw another vase against the door where the king had set two strong demons to guard the half-demon. He fell silent, collapsing on his large bed. He closed his eyes and listened to the war sounds outside. He could hear screams, both from humans and demons, as well as horse hoofs on the ground and arrows being released.

"This is all that _king's_ fault…" Inuyasha mumbled. He glanced around the room for any way of escaping besides the door. _The window!_ He thought. _For a king, he's not too bright sometimes! I can't believe he didn't think about that._ He ran to the window and peered outside. It was a two-story drop, but he could handle that. What made his ears droop is that the king had several guards patrolling the ground as well. _Hmm. Can't go down, so I'll go up!_ Inuyasha could have easily killed the demons on the ground, but he preferred not to kill any of his soldiers that he worked so hard to train. He climbed out of the window, silently making his way up the castle wall. His sharp nails dug into the rocks, working their way to the top. He jumped up and stood in triumph once he reached the roof.

Inuyasha ran quietly across the roof to the other end of the castle. The forest folded out below him, and he immediately leaped off the building and into the trees. Within minutes, he was on the ground sprinting to the battlefield.

Kagome shot another arrow, killing a large portion of the demons charging towards her. She smiled grimly. War was anything _but_ fun. She noticed one of their soldiers get grabbed by a demon, who made a sprint into the forest. Kagome bit her lip and debated going after it. She decided that it was the right thing to do, so she quickly raced after it. She ran for a long time before the battle sounds died away. She saw the demon in a large clearing, devouring the human it had taken. Kagome felt tears begin to stream down her cheeks, and she quickly conjured a fireball and threw it at the demon.

It didn't stand a chance, and it burst into flames seconds later. Kagome turned away, hurt that she didn't make it in time to save that poor soul. She looked up, running right into a large something. The momentum knocked her down, and she looked up at what she had run into. A demon stood there. He looked like a human, except for his silvery white hair and blazing golden eyes. Also, he had two dog-ears on the top of his head. Sango's words rang throughout her mind.

_The most dangerous demons are the ones that wear a human form._

Kagome backed up a bit, glaring at it. "Who are you?" She cried.

"Me? I'm Inuyasha, but I don't expect you to remember it."

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A/N: Wow, I'm not to good at cliffies. Ok, well, maybe the next chapter will be out before you all die! Ha ha, writers humor there. Just kidding, it'll probably be out within a week, if not sooner. So, have a great day, what's left of it anyway, and check out my next chapter when I get it up! Thanks! (Review!)  



	3. Interrogation

A/N: Hi! I know, i waited a week to repost, but you guys were getting spoiled! Expect the chapters to be at least a week apart from now on. Sorry! Dodges tomatoes Ha! One hits her squarely in the face Dangit... Well, read on while I get a towel!

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**All's Fair in Love and War**

**Part 3**

"Me? I'm Inuyasha, but I don't expect you to remember it," Inuyasha cracked his knuckles and chuckled. Kagome blinked.

"Uh…" She stuttered. Inuyasha smirked and lunged at her fallen form. Without thinking Kagome threw up a barrier instantly and Inuyasha was thrown to the ground.

"Smart girl," Inuyasha said, standing once again. "King Seiji told me to beware of a girl named Kagome. You must be her."

"What do you want with me?" Kagome asked, standing as well. "To avenge all the demons I killed?"

"Heh. No, they were worthless anyway. I came to observe the fight, but if I kill you it'll be all the better," Inuyasha said. Kagome bit her lip and frowned.

"Go ahead, try it!" She shouted. "I'll kill you like I killed the others!"

"Don't underestimate me, girl. I won't fall so easily." He pulled out his sword, and it immediately transformed to it's larger self. Kagome blinked. "Like it? I got it when my old man passed over."

"I'm sorry…" Kagome couldn't help but feel sorry for the demon in front of her.

"Don't waste your emotion. He died when I was a pup, leaving this masterpiece behind," Inuyasha held up his sword and admired it before pointing it at Kagome. "You deflected my claws, but can you deflect my Tetsusaiga?"

Inuyasha jumped at Kagome again, and Kagome was about to throw up another shield when a large blast knocked him off course. Kagome turned around and saw Miroku standing there.

"Miroku!" Kagome called. The monk ignored her, walking straight up to Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha, is it? I hear you're a powerful demon. Or, should I say _half-demon_." Miroku helped Kagome up, not taking his eyes off Inuyasha. "I also hear that you're the general for the demon army. Tell me, how is it a half-demon managed that?"

"None of your damn business!" Inuyasha spat. Miroku chuckled.

"All right, don't tell me. But you'll have plenty of time to change your mind." He waved a hand, and two rings appeared around Inuyasha's arms, binding them together. Inuyasha scowled as his sword dropped to the ground. He turned and charged towards Kagome, but Miroku waved his hand again and Inuyasha dropped to the ground, bound by the feet as well.

"Damn monk…" Inuyasha was cut off when his mouth was covered as well.

"My my, such language." Miroku smiled and turned to face Kagome. "Are you all right, Lady Kagome?"

Kagome nodded, having lost her voice when Inuyasha charged.

"Good. Now, let's say that we get back to the castle. I believe the fighting is almost over, and we need to tend to our first prisoner of war."

"Retreat!" A loud voice yelled, "Retreat, by King Seiji's orders!" Instantly all the demons retaliated. Sesshoumaru chuckled; they were pathetic, really. The dog demon threw one last punch at the humans before heading back to the royal palace. A few of them fell at his attack, but he was unable to do any more damage. The small demon who had delivered the news of the retreat was leading the way back to the castle, and from what he said the king was _angry_. Very much so, in fact. Sesshoumaru sighed and walked through the gates to where the king was waiting.

"What's the big deal!" Sesshoumaru asked. "We _had_ them!"

"The deal is your brother!" King Seiji looked royally pissed.

"Inuyasha? What about him?" Sesshoumaru had never really paid attention to him, but if he could make the king this mad, he must have done something bad.

"Your brother _escaped_!" The king hissed.

"Is that all?" Sesshoumaru sounded bored.

"No! The stupid idiot got himself _captured_!" King Seiji glared at Sesshoumaru, like it was his fault Inuyasha acted rashly.

"You were the one who contained him. He has my father's blood in him, did you really think he would be detained?" Sesshoumaru was surprised. King Seiji was a full-blood demon, and a very powerful one at that. He hardly ever showed emotion; usually his thoughts were hidden behind a strong mask.

King Seiji blinked. "That doesn't matter!"

"Actually, it does. My father never liked to stay in one place for very long, and if anyone tried to keep him where he didn't want to be, he found the cleverest ways of escaping. I'm not surprised that he broke free. As for getting captured, that's his own stupidity at work. Probably came from that human mother of his, Izayoi." (A/N: If I spelled that wrong, please correct me!)

"That doesn't pardon the fact that Inuyasha is now the first prisoner of war! He could be killed, and then we'd be out of a general and an heir!"

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. "Heir?"

"Yes. I'm not going to live forever, and since Kimi and I have no children, we chose Inuyasha to be our heir!" King Seiji led Sesshoumaru into the castle and through the doors to the throne room, where the queen was waiting.

"Why did you choose Inuyasha, a filthy half-breed?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"He's been like a son to us," Queen Kimi said. "We know he'll run the demons with a firm grip."

"Did you _tell_ him about this?"

"Uh, no. We were planning to tell him when we win the war." King Seiji glared at the dog demon before him.

"That may be why he didn't think before he took off. Of course he'll run, he doesn't know he's about to become the most important demon in the eastern lands." Sesshoumaru inspected his nails, which were covered in human blood.

Neither the king nor queen made a sound.

"If that will be all, I'm going to clean myself up. I reek of mortal blood, and it sickens me," Sesshoumaru nodded to the royals and walked out of the room.

"Wait, Sesshoumaru!"

The dog demon stopped and turned around.

"Inuyasha must be retrieved. I give _you_ that task. Get him tomorrow, before sunrise."

"No," Sesshoumaru was the only one to rightly defy the king, and it shocked him.

"That's an order, Sesshoumaru!"

Sesshoumaru shook his head, "I won't. Inuyasha got himself into this mess, he can get himself out."

"You have my permission to kill any humans you meet along the way," King Seiji smirked, knowing that appealed to Sesshoumaru. The dog demon thought for a moment before nodding slowly.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to . . . check up on him," he nodded, "fine. But I'll get him in my own time, no sooner."

"Please hurry, Sesshoumaru!" Queen Kimi called after his retreating form. "Don't let our heir get hurt!"

Sesshoumaru said nothing, stalking off to where he was staying for the war. (A/N: Let's just say that Sesshoumaru is a sergeant or something like that. I'm not war savvy, so I don't know what's just below a general.)

Kagome followed her mother down the long hallway to the throne-room. They passed several rooms where injured humans were lying, getting treated by the palace nurses. She shuddered, deciding she didn't like war.

After Miroku had loaded Inuyasha onto his horse, he led the girl and half-demon back to castle. The monk was right, the fighting had subdued, though it was impossible to see who was victorious. Miroku had led her through the opened gates, and immediately met up with her mother, Yumiko. She had been briefed on what had happened before ordering Inuyasha to be put on high guard in the dungeon.

"Human guards weren't good enough," she had said. "Place _General_ Inuyasha under one of Miroku's advanced miko's watch and make sure he doesn't escape." She had said General in a mocking tone, and had Inuyasha lunge at her for it. She had laughed as he fell to the ground, unable to move from the magic binding. Kagome felt a pang of guilt for the hanyou, but had been unable to do anything about it because at that moment her mother had whisked her away to talk to the king, which brought them to the present time.

"Look alive, Kagome."

"Sorry, mother. I guess I'm not feeling all that well…" Kagome whispered. Yumiko looked at her knowingly.

"I felt the same way when I first went to battle so many years ago. Don't worry, it wears off. King Rei knows about you, but it's good to make a nice impression on your first meeting," Yumiko murmured to her daughter as two soldiers opened the doors to the throne room. The mother walked confidently to the middle of the room before bowing low before a royal-looking man in his late forties. Kagome followed suit, deciding to let her mother do the talking.

"King Rei," Yumiko said.

"Stop bowing, Yumiko. You see me too many times to keep doing that," Rei grinned heartily. Kagome blinked; what odd behavior for a king who is at war. "And I'm guessing this is your daughter, Kagome?"

Yumiko nodded. "This is Kagome. She is a highly skilled miko and a splendid fighter. Of course, she could always use more training, but she held off the demon general until Miroku could get there."

"Really? _The_ demon general?" The king looked upon Kagome with newfound interest. Kagome swallowed and nodded.

"Yes, your majesty," She stated quietly. She _really_ wasn't feeling that well. King Rei grinned.

"So, what happened then?"

"From what Miroku told me, Kagome had followed a stray demon into the forest. She killed him, and then was heading back to the fight when Inuyasha, the general, showed up. She held him off with shields, but for some reason didn't attack," Yumiko glanced at Kagome before continuing. "Miroku arrived just in time to keep her from getting impaled, but I'm surprised that she even held a powerful demon like that off for that long."

"Indeed. The general is a powerful demon, or so says our sources," King Rei laughed, "I bet he's not so powerful now!"

Yumiko smiled grimly, "Yes, Miroku set him in the dungeon under my orders. He is under a miko's guard right now, and will be under their constant eye until we can get some information out of him."

"Good, good. And after you get the information, behead him on my orders," King Rei didn't look too nice just then. Kagome shuddered, but said nothing.

"Very good, your majesty," Yumiko bowed again, "we'll get on that right away." She nodded and walked out of the room, Kagome trailing behind.

"I don't like that man too much, mother," Kagome whispered when they were well out of range. Yumiko laughed.

"Yes, he may seem quite menacing at times. But don't worry; he's a nice man when you get past that," Yumiko leaned in to Kagome, "and he fancies me."

"What?" Kagome gasped. "King Rei of the Southern Lands fancies _you_?"

"Indeed. Several times he's asked my hand in marriage, but I turned him down."

"Why?"

"He's a nice man, and I do like him, but I don't want to push royalty on you and Sota. It's just not right; you're not raised that way. You wouldn't be able to handle all the parties we are forced to attend. And the manners you'd have to learn, ha!" Yumiko laughed, "Your heads would be swimming in books and poems. You wouldn't like it."

"But you like him?" Kagome peered at her mother as she opened the door to their room.

"A little, yes," Yumiko's eyes twinkled.

"A little what?" Sota bounded over to his mother and gave her a large hug, "Glad to see you're safe, mom."

"Ha ha, you too Sota," Yumiko grinned at her boy, walking over to put her weapon on the bed.

"War is boring. Everyone in my group didn't even get to see the action!" Sota complained. Kagome, who had been side-tracked when talking to her mother about the king, remembered her feelings head on. She ran over to the bathroom (A/N: Let's just say they have bathrooms back then!) and emptied her stomach. Sota was about to say 'Eww!', but he was silenced with a look from his mother.

Yumiko walked sympathetically over to Kagome, rubbing her back. When Kagome finished she handed her a dry towel and a glass of water. Kagome wiped her mouth and took a swig of the clear liquid, spitting the backwash into the sink. She groaned and sank down on the floor.

"Sota, go and find Kohaku and Sango. Stay with them for a while, all right?" Yumiko called to her son. Sota nodded and hesitantly walked out of the room. "Kagome, it's all right, shhh…" Yumiko comforted her daughter. Kagome shuddered.

"It was horrible, mom…" Kagome whispered.

"I know…" Yumiko said, sinking beside her daughter. "War is not a fun thing, Kagome."

"But why does there have to be bloodshed? Why do we have to have a war?" Kagome winced as the memory of the mangled body the demon had carried off came back fresh in her mind.

"Even if there wasn't a war, blood would still be shed. It's the way of nature. Utopias don't exist except in your greatest dreams, Kagome. They never have." (A/N: Vocab word! Oh, my English teacher would be proud.)

"I know…" Kagome opened her mouth to say more, but just then she heard something at the window. Yumiko blinked and got up, then laughed out loud.

"Kagome, come and see what your friend is doing," she called to the girl, "come on, it'll make you feel better!"

Kagome hesitantly stood up and walked to the window, standing by her mother. She grinned as well, it was hard not to. As she watched, Sango was making her way up the castle's rock wall right to her window. She carefully placed each hand so that she wouldn't fall, then progressed higher. Some of the people in the courtyard had stopped what they were doing to watch, and Kagome saw Sota and Kohaku pointing and laughing at the girl's antics. Finally Sango made it to the window and heaved herself into the room.

"Hi, Kagome!" she heaved, panting.

"Sango, there's a new invention out," Kagome giggled. Her mother was right; it did make her feel better.

"Really?"

"Yeah. The door. Start using it!" Kagome doubled over, still laughing. Yumiko hid her mouth behind her hand, trying to maintain her image of sternness. It was a losing battle.

"But Sota said you weren't feeling well, so I decided a little comic relief would be perfect for you!" Sango grinned broadly.

"It worked," Kagome gasped. With a person like Sango around, it was easy to forget the troubles of war. The two continued talking while Yumiko walked over to the door. Apparently someone had been knocking, and only the general noticed it. She opened it and smiled.

"Can I help you, sir?" she asked. The boy nodded.

"General Yumiko, ma'am." He bowed low before pulling out a piece of paper, "Miroku said that he had a note for you." He handed her the note and left quickly. Yumiko shrugged and closed the door, reading it.

_Dearest Yumiko,_

_Inuyasha is secured in the dungeon. I would have just told you, but I wasn't sure if you were back from the king's throne room yet. So, I sent that boy to give this to you. Obviously if you're reading this, you received it. _

Get to the point, Miroku. Yumiko thought.

_But you probably want me to get to the point. King Rei sent word that Inuyasha is to be interrogated about the demon army before being beheaded tomorrow morning__Which means that we need someone to interrogate him. I believe that Lady Kagome would be the best person to do it. Hear me out. Inuyasha will be well bound, so that he won't be able to move. Kagome will talk to him tonight, at midnight. That way there will be no one around to interfere. I believe she is the best person to do it because Inuyasha has already met her. Well, in a manner of speaking, anyway. Also, I doubt he will respond to anyone else, and we need someone gentle, but firm at the same time. Only Kagome would be able to do that. So, if you agree to it, which I have a feeling you will, send Kagome down at midnight to do it. If not, then I'll do it myself, and if I get no information I blame _you

_Good Luck!_

_Miroku_

Yumiko shook her head. Miroku had a way of making her smile, he always knew just what to say. She turned to the conversing women in the corner.

"Kagome, get some sleep. At midnight, you're going to interrogate Inuyasha."

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A/N: Ok, so that was a horrible cliffy. Sorry! Anyways, hope you liked it and all that jazz. Please review! R.E.V.I.E.W.! Give me and R! Give me an E! Give me a V! Give me an I! Give me another E! Give me a W! What's that spell! REVIEW! Yay! starts cheering Ok, laters!  



	4. Meetings

A/N: Hiya! ducks reviewers rotton fruit Hey! Anyways, these excuses mean nothing to you, but I was internetless for over a week! It killed me, and I had about 60 emails (no junk) and ... Nevermind. You all don't care. ON TO THE STORY!

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**All's fair in love and war**

**Part 4**

Kagome walked down the hallway, sighing. _I love how mom tells me about things. Well, at least this time she gave me a little warning, unlike the last time… _Kagome frowned and made her way down the stairs. At the bottom there was a girl, one from the advanced miko class, guarding a solemn looking door.

"You're not allowed here." The girl said, as if it was well rehearsed.

"Um, on Miroku's orders I'm to interrogate the victim." Kagome stated.

"Miroku? He never told me anything about that…" The girl was interrupted by footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Ah, Kagome. You're here early. Or maybe I'm just late… No matter. Euirku, you can go."

The girl, Euirku, nodded to Kagome and walked up the stairs. Kagome could hear her yawn halfway up. She turned her attention to Miroku.

"Hello, Lady Kagome." Miroku said pleasantly, pulling out a large key and fitting it into the keyhole on the gloomy door. Kagome nodded and said nothing; too fascinated about the action Miroku was performing. As he fit the key into the hole, it glowed bright purple. Kagome was sure it would burn Miroku's hand, but all the light did was fade out and die away.

"Interesting, isn't it? That was a locking spell, designed to keep whatever is on the other side to stay on the other side. It's immune to lock-pickers. Handy spell." Miroku chuckled at Kagome's amazement and opened the door. He allowed Kagome to walk in, then made to close it with Kagome inside.

"Wait, Miroku!" Kagome protested. Miroku paused, as she asked, "Aren't you coming in with me?"

"Lady Kagome, Inuyasha won't respond to me. If I stay in there all I'll be is a burden. Don't worry; I'll be right outside if you need anything. Good luck." Miroku winked and closed the door fully. Kagome shook her head and looked around. The dungeon was very large. Chains sat in a row on the wall, just begging to hold someone captive. Steel locks also bloomed from the ceiling, Kagome guessed to hang people by their ankles. Bones and rats made their home in the dungeon, and Kagome shuddered and looked around for the captive. She saw him, sitting limply in the back of the dungeon, eyes closed.

"Hey." Kagome walked over to him and sat down. She didn't bother to sit far away; she walked right next to him and plopped down there. Inuyasha's ear twitched but he didn't open his eyes. "Hey!" Kagome cried.

"Do you have to be so damn loud!" Inuyasha growled, cracking an eye open.

"Yes." Kagome smiled sweetly. "I'm sorry, but you weren't responding any other way."

"Feh." Inuyasha huffed and turned away as best he could; he was still bound by the hands and feet. Kagome frowned.

"Um, I'm here to . . . interrogate you."

"Taunt me is more like it." Inuyasha said.

"No! I'm only here because they made me come here to question you!" Kagome heaved.

"Well, you can just up and leave now, because I'm not telling you one thing." Inuyasha smirked. Kagome shrugged.

"Ok." She got up and walked away. Inuyasha blinked.

"That's it?"

"Yeah. I don't want to be here, and you don't want me here, and it's obvious that you aren't going to tell me anything. So, I'm leaving." Kagome winked and opened the door. Miroku looked up from where he was sitting.

"Done already?"

"Yes. I'm hungry. Will you go get me some food?" Kagome asked. Miroku blinked.

"Uh, sure… Stay here in case Inuyasha tries anything." He stood up and walked up the stairs towards the kitchen. Kagome nodded.

"Bring lots, I'm really hungry." She saw Miroku's shadow wave and she smirked and walked back inside. Inuyasha looked up at her.

"I thought you were done?" He said.

"I was. But Miroku told me to stay here in case you try something, and he's getting me some food."

"Couldn't you get yourself some food?" Inuyasha blinked.

"No. Well, I could, but then Miroku would have to stay down here and watch you, and that's not his job."

"Ah." There was silence, and Kagome sat down again. When Inuyasha looked at her questioningly, she answered, "I'm tired. It's midnight, you know."

"Yeah, I figured. But you can't tell down here." Inuyasha leaned against the grimy dungeon wall.

Kagome looked around and sighed. "I'm really sorry you got into this predicament, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha stared in disbelief at the girl in front of him. Here he was, trying to _kill_ her, and all she could say was 'I'm sorry you got captured'.

"I'll try to help you out—" She was cut off by a beating on the door. She sighed and stood up, opening it to find Miroku. He looked behind her to be sure that Inuyasha was still there before handing her a loaf of bread and a jug of water.

"Here. This is all I could get before the cooks chased me out." Miroku grinned.

"Thanks." Kagome gratefully took the bread and water.

"Well, you should be getting back to your room. I guess we'll get no information out of him." Miroku stood aside, allowing her passage. She shook her head.

"No, I think I'll talk to him some more." She winked at Miroku and walked back to Inuyasha. Miroku shrugged and closed the door again. Kagome walked back over to Inuyasha for the fourth time and sat down in her usual spot. He glanced at the bread before quickly turning away. Kagome didn't notice.

"As I was saying, I can help you get out." She took a bite of the bread. Inuyasha looked at her warily, expecting deception. Kagome chewed thoughtfully. "I'm sure I could alter the spell binding you and let you loose—"

Inuyasha's stomach growled rather loudly. Kagome stopped talking and grinned widely.

"Why didn't you say you were hungry!" She asked the blushing hanyou. He looked at his feet in embarrassment. "Didn't they feed you?"

"No." Inuyasha stated. It was amazing. He had been a general in a war for fifty years, and no one had ever gotten him to blush before. He could literally feel the wall he had set up for emotion control collapsing around him. And it was this girl's entire fault. A mortal!

"Oh. Well, I can see why, seeing as you're going to be beheaded tomorrow morning." Kagome broke her bread in half and handed it to Inuyasha. He stared at it, but didn't move. "Come on, I'm giving it to you."

Inuyasha looked behind him at the spell that bound his hands. Kagome clapped hers in realization. "I'm sorry! Hang on, I'll have Miroku remove it!" She jumped up _again_ and ran to the door, flinging it open. "Miroku!"

"Yes, Lady Kagome? Has he told you anything yet?"

"No, but I want you to unbind his hands." Kagome folded her arms.

"What?" Miroku asked, startled.

"Yeah. He's hungry, and he can't eat with his hands all bound up like that." She grinned. Miroku hesitated.

"I can't."

"Why?" Kagome raised an eyebrow.

"Your mother would kill me if Inuyasha took a swipe at you, whether or not you are able to protect yourself." He answered, eyes twinkling.

"I can set you up on a date with Sango."

"Done." Miroku walked into the dungeon and over to Inuyasha. He glared at the hanyou. "No funny stuff now." He held a hand up and the bindings on his arms and legs disappeared. Inuyasha rubbed the feeling back into his hands, frowning at Miroku.

"There you go, Kagome. Know that I will hold you to that date with Sango!" He closed the door, and the two were alone again.

"We need to just sit and not get up. That's what, six times in a half hour?" Kagome asked as she sat down, handing Inuyasha the bread again. This time Inuyasha took it greedily, munching on the treat.

"Yeah." Inuyasha mumbled through a mouth full of bread. Kagome smiled.

"Anyway, I could get you out before you get beheaded…" She trailed off as Inuyasha's head shot up.

"Beheaded?"

"Yeah. Didn't you hear me the first time?"

"I didn't comprehend it. When?"

"Tomorrow morning." Kagome looked solemn. Inuyasha frowned.

"No way in hell I'm getting beheaded by mortals." He said simply. Kagome giggled.

"You're so set on what you feel is right." She said, grinning. "I'll try to help you, but even though my mom's the general, there's not much I can do. Our king is really powerful, and he doesn't listen to anyone but maybe my mom."

"Why your mom?"

"Well, she's the general for one, and he loves her." Kagome shrugged. Inuyasha blinked.

"Wow." _Humans are so weird._ He thought.

"Yeah…" Kagome looked at her bread, trying to think of something to say. Inuyasha grinned.

"Well, I don't plan on dying any time soon, and—" Inuyasha stopped, glaring at the door.

"What?" She asked, peering where Inuyasha's golden eyes were looking.

"Someone's coming." Inuyasha whispered, barely audible. For some reason, Kagome felt like staying hushed as well. Inuyasha stood up, wobbling slightly. Kagome steadied him and frowned. Something wasn't right. Suddenly she heard what sounded like someone banging on the door. It was quiet for a moment before the door burst open.

A tall man stood there. At least, Kagome thought him to be a man until she saw the pointed ears and purple markings on his cheeks and forehead.

"Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha spit. _Something had made him angry, quick. This demon must not be good news… _Kagome thought.

"How did you get in?" Kagome demanded. Inuyasha looked at her oddly; she had guts, that was for sure. Not many living creatures, human or demon, dared to talk to Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru blinked and noticed the girl for the first time. When he spoke, it sent shivers up Kagome's spine. "I had a bit of fun with the palace guards. Don't worry, little girl, we won't be interrupted."

Kagome tensed. _What happened to Miroku! Is he all right?_ "What did you do with the man outside?"

"He won't bother us anytime soon, if that's what you're indicating." Sesshoumaru chuckled and Kagome frowned, worry creasing on her brow.

"Sesshoumaru, why are you here?" Inuyasha took the attention off Kagome before his brother decided he got bored with her.

"Why, your dear king decided that you weren't capable of getting free by yourself, so he sent me to give the _'ittle half-demon_ a push." Sesshoumaru said mockingly. Inuyasha growled. "So, here I am, and you're coming with me."

Inuyasha bit his lip and turned to Kagome. "I'm sorry about your palace guards. I'll . . . I probably won't see you later, so good bye, Kagome."

Kagome swallowed and nodded, unable to talk.

"Cut the romance, Inuyasha." Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes and raced to Kagome. "Hmm. The general's daughter, then." He grinned and Kagome shuddered at his cold eyes. "The king will enjoy your company…"

"Keep your damn hands off of her, Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha jumped in front of Kagome, growling.

"My, my. Such impudence. Well, she will die soon anyway. I'll let her off the hook _today_." He turned around and glanced over his shoulder. "Come, Inuyasha, before we're forced to kill even more of your precious humans."

"They're not my precious humans!" Inuyasha screeched.

"Whatever. Either way, hurry up." Sesshoumaru began walking towards the door. Inuyasha turned back to Kagome, blushing slightly.

"Well, um… Thanks for the bread…" He blushed again and ran after his brother. Kagome stood there, speechless. The prisoner escaped… _he escaped_. She smiled. _Serves King Rei right. He's a nice man, but Inuyasha's nice too. It's not fair that he should be caged up. _ Suddenly it hit her where she was. She ran out of the dungeon, tripping over a lump.

"Miroku!" She called, bending down to see the fallen monk. He didn't move, but Kagome could see him breathing. She sighed in relief and positioned him on her back, slowly making her way up the stairs to the main floor. She could already see a crowd of people forming at the top and frowned. She didn't feel like dealing with all these people right now.

"Kagome! You're alive!" Yumiko ran over to her daughter, hugging her happily. "I'm so happy!"

"Alive? Why wouldn't I be?" Kagome asked, relieving Miroku to two servants who ran up to her as well.

"Look how the other guards wound up." Yumiko said grimly. Kagome glanced to the spot where she indicated and gasped. They were lying on their backs, eyes wide open in horror. The worst part that Kagome saw was that their eyes were white, clean through, almost as if glazed over.

"Oh no…" Kagome whispered.

"It looks like poison struck them, because hardly any blood was shed." Yumiko shook her head and turned back to her daughter. "But at least you're safe. And Miroku is fine, then?"

"Yeah, it looks like he was just knocked unconscious." Kagome stated. "It looked like Sesshoumaru knocked his head against the door."

"Sesshoumaru?" Yumiko asked.

"He's apparently Inuyasha's older brother. He looked like a full demon."

"Let's be thankful that he didn't kill you as well." Yumiko said a silent prayer to Buddha.

"Well, he was going to kidnap me, but Inuyasha saved me." Kagome smiled at that memory.

"What?"

"Inuyasha stopped his brother from taking me with him, and saved me." Kagome answered. "If he had taken me, I'd have surely been killed."

Yumiko was speechless. Luckily, she didn't have to say much because at that time Sango came running up. Kagome sighed, really too tired to deal with this right now.

"Kagome!" Sango ran up and hugged her friend. "Thank god you got out without a scratch!"

"How many people were killed, Sango?"

"They're still counting. I think it was up to fifteen before I left to find you." Sango shook her head. "It's so sad. But, you can tell me later, because you look drop dead exhausted.

Yumiko's motherly habits kicked in right about then. She looked at her daughter and scowled. "Kagome, you march right back up to that bedroom right now, young lady." She ordered in a commanding voice. Kagome happily obliged. Sango followed her as Yumiko went to talk to the king; the girl had strict orders to make sure Kagome went to bed immediately. She didn't have to worry, because as soon as Kagome hit the pillow she fell asleep, dreaming of a certain silver haired half-demon.

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A/N: Ha ha! They meet! Finally… Well, hope you liked it. REVIEW! And stay tuned! Thanks! Hands reviewers an online cookie 


	5. Decisions

A/N: Hiya y'all! (No, I don't say that often...) Here's the next chapter! Yay! cheers herself on for a job well done I hope you like it, because I just gave up going orange-picking with my grandparents to update! cries Anyway, enjoy, and if you liked it or didn't like it, REVIEW ANYWAY!

By the way, one of my reviewers, Kurinju-sama, informed me that in the last chapter I made a reference to Inuyasha's father being the ruler of the _Eastern Lands_. This is incorrect. I'm sorry, but when I write, I just tell the story how it comes in my mind, and I hardly check it over... There's my error. Inuyasha is in fact the son of the ruler of the Western Lands. Thanks Kurinju-sama for telling me that! I'm so sorry if I do something like that again! >. ;; Please remember that I'm only human, and correct me if I misdo something. I will write a note in the next chapter to clear it up. Thanks again!

* * *

**All's Fair In Love And War**

**Chapter 5**

Inuyasha followed Sesshoumaru quickly back to the demon castle. It was quite far away, but it went by fast when traveling at the high speed.

"Inuyasha, why did you protect the general's daughter?" Sesshoumaru yelled over the wind's howling. Inuyasha stayed silent, pretending not to hear.

_Why _did_ I protect her? I don't know, it's like the minute Sesshoumaru got too close, something in me flared and I felt like I had to protect her or else._ Inuyasha shook his head and dodged a tree, following Sesshoumaru closely. Inuyasha had a feeling the dog demon was going slower then he was capable of traveling, merely because he was able to catch up to him. Finally the castle approached them, breaking Inuyasha from his thoughts.

Sesshoumaru didn't bother to wait for the gates to be lowered; he just jumped over the high walls. Inuyasha sighed and followed, not near as graceful as his brother. "Go to the throne room, Inuyasha. I imagine the king wants to talk to you." He smirked and stalked off to his room. Inuyasha frowned and walked to the throne room, feeling as if he might never walk out of that room again. The king would be furious, but Inuyasha just had to take the consequences.

He opened the door with a sense of dread. The moment he looked up, he saw the king's angry face and the queen's worried one. "King Seiji, Queen Kimi." He bowed low.

"Inuyasha, darling!" Queen Kimi flew from her chair and enveloped Inuyasha in a hug. "I was so worried…" She let go of him and reluctantly returned to her chair. Inuyasha blushed a bit before regaining his composure.

"Inuyasha!" The king barked, "Why did you run off?"

"Well, you tried to keep me from battle, sire. I trained my troops, and I wanted to see them in action." Inuyasha blinked, putting on a face of innocence.

"That doesn't matter! You still should have stayed in your room!" King Seiji roared. Inuyasha winced at his loud tone, but didn't move.

"You were caught, causing a panic for us!" The king went on, "If something had happened to you, we would have had to find another heir!"

"Heir?" Inuyasha nearly fell over at that.

"Yes, dear." Queen Kimi said gently. "Since we have no children to speak of, and you've been like a son to us, we chose you to be our heir when something happens to us."

"Oh…" Inuyasha couldn't think of anything else to say. _If they had told me that, would I have acted differently? More cautious? _Inuyasha thought.

"Then you had to go and run off again! It makes me question your loyalty, Inuyasha." King Seiji finally calmed half-way down.

"Believe me, King Seiji, I am completely loyal." Inuyasha said, thinking back to when Kagome had questioned him and he had held strong.

"Hmm. Still, if you become king, you can't just run off on your country like that." King Seiji debated. Queen Kimi hit him on the shoulder.

"Seiji! Don't scare him away! He doesn't need a lecture."

"Yes, dear. I suppose that will come in due time…" He sighed before looking back at Inuyasha, who was truly baffled.

"So, what did they do to you at the mortal's 'palace'?" King Seiji asked, peering at the half-demon.

"They tried to get me to tell them our war secrets, but I wouldn't tell them." Inuyasha stated.

"Good job, my boy!" King Seiji leaned to his wife and whispered, "Do we _have_ any war secrets?" She shrugged.

"And how did they interrogate you?"

"They sent a girl in…"

"A girl!" King Seiji exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes. The general's daughter, in fact." He instantly regretted saying that. King Seiji might get the idea to kidnap Kagome like Sesshoumaru had tried to do. He put up a fight against Sesshoumaru, but he wouldn't do it against his king.

"Really?" King Seiji looked impressed. "And you still didn't tell?"

"No."

"And you questioned his loyalty, Seiji!" Queen Kimi stated harshly to her mate before turning to Inuyasha. "Dear, why didn't you bring this girl with you when you escaped?"

"I couldn't." He hung his head.

"Why not?"

"She didn't deserve to be carted away. She . . . She was nice to me, she offered to help free me and she gave me food."

"Ah, teenage love!" Queen Kimi clapped her hands.

"What? No!" Inuyasha blushed fiercely.

"Just look at that face, Kimi!" King Seiji slapped his knee and laughed. "He's burning up!"

Inuyasha frowned. "If that's all…" He turned and began to walk away.

"Wait, dear!" Queen Kimi called to Inuyasha's retreating form. He turned back around, ear twitching.

"Seiji didn't mean it, dear." She said, encouraging him back to them. She shot Seiji a murderous look before continuing. "Why don't you think she deserved to be taken back here?"

"I figured if I brought her back here, she would be killed."

"Well, that's true." King Seiji said without thinking.

Inuyasha winced. "Yeah."

"Dear, if you bring her back here, we'll give her the best treatment we can. It's obvious you care for her, and I think it's splendid. Love can't hurt, especially in time of war."

"Enough of this lovey-dovey stuff! Did you get a look at their defenses while you were there?" King Seiji asked.

"Yes, sire." Inuyasha looked the king in the eye. "Their defenses were weak after that last battle."

"Ha ha!" The king laughed happily, "I knew it! Good, good. We'll infiltrate their forces in seven days time, and kill every last one!"

Inuyasha thought back to Kagome and frowned. "Is that necessary, sire?"

"Of course it is, Inuyasha! We can end this war before it starts, and this is the best way!" King Seiji chuckled at his plan. Inuyasha lowered his gaze, golden eyes hid behind a layer of silver.

"But . . ."

"No talking, Inuyasha! We must set this plan to action. Much to do, so much to do!" King Seiji shooed Inuyasha away. Inuyasha nodded angrily and walked out of the room, scowling.

_Kill them all? Even Kagome…_ Inuyasha wandered down the hallway, deep in thought. He scowled at a servant who accidentally bumped into him, but was too preoccupied to do anything about it. He suddenly broke into a run and threw the door open to his room.

_Me… King… _Inuyasha frowned. _I can't be king, I'm a half-demon! No one would listen to me. _He sighed. _And kings usually need to marry a princess. Where am I going to find one of them?_ He shook his head in frustration and walked over to the window, looking down at the soldiers patrolling the grounds. His thoughts wandered back to the human palace.

"Kagome can't die. She accepted me for who I was extremely quick, and she gave me food and entertainment while I was trapped. She didn't force the interrogation on me, and I could tell she had a nice heart…" He sighed, ears drooping.

"That girl made you get that impression of her for the few hours you knew each other?" A gruff voice behind him asked. Inuyasha whirled around to see his elder brother standing there, hands on his hips.

"Yes. And if you didn't try to kill her, you might have seen it too." Inuyasha sneered. Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow.

"I did not try to kill her. If I had tried, she would be dead."

"Well, she might be dead soon anyway." He mumbled.

"Why?"

"The king decided that they would invade the human palace in a week's time. He ordered that every mortal would die." Inuyasha turned back to the window and glared at the ground.

"Hmm. Indeed." Sesshoumaru thought for a moment. "Why don't you take her prisoner, then?" (A/N: Sesshoumaru isn't so mean in this one. )

"I can't do that; she'd be killed any—" He stopped when he remembered what the queen had said. _Dear, if you bring her back here, we'll give her the best treatment we can. It's obvious you care for her, and I think it's splendid. Love can't hurt, especially in time of war._ "I could bring her back!" He smiled at that thought, then frowned.

"What's wrong?" Sesshoumaru sat gracefully in a chair. How anyone could do that was beyond Inuyasha, but Sesshoumaru accomplished it.

"King Seiji will _murder _me if I leave the house again." Inuyasha mumbled.

"Ah yes. He seemed quite angry about it last time."

"Quite angry is an understatement." Inuyasha frowned and thought about how to get out of the castle. Luckily, Sesshoumaru was already one step ahead.

"Suppose you had a . . . chaperone." He said thoughtfully, smirking at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha caught on quick. "Right, a chaperone! I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I had someone responsible look out for me…" He grinned at Sesshoumaru, who stood up.

"I'll get my sword." He nodded to the hanyou. "We leave tonight."

"Why not now?"

"It's almost dawn. The mortals will be waking up, and we don't want them to see us waltz in and take the general's daughter in broad daylight. Use your brain, Inuyasha." He explained before walking out of the room. Inuyasha shrugged and walked to his bed, laying in it. With the thought of the kidnapping that was about to take place, he had a hard time sleeping, but he slowly drifted off into an uneasy rest.

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A/N: Sorry if that one seemed a bit short... I ran out of ideas to put in it. Heh... Either way, that's the chapter! Sorry it took so long to update, but Christmas made things very hectic. New Years wasn't much better. Anyway, enjoy 2006, everyone! REVIEW PLEASE!  



	6. Kagome, Kidnapped?

A/N: Hiya guys! Ok, sorry it took so long, but things have been getting hectic. School started back up, and I found out my best friends are coming out for a visit! It's been two years since I've seen them, and their news kinda took my by surprise. I was too excited to type! Heh... But, here's the chapter! Hope you enjoy!

PS: I do not own Inuyasha. If I did, this story wouldn't exist, and I'd be having a whole lot more fun in life...

* * *

**All's Fair In Love And War**

**Part 6 **

Inuyasha awoke to Sesshoumaru walking into the room. He blinked sleepily and looked towards the window; it was pitch black and there was little noise.

"Inuyasha, get up." Sesshoumaru ordered, "We're leaving soon."

"What time is it?" Inuyasha muttered sleepily.

"Midnight. The perfect time to kidnap a mortal. I'll be outside waiting. Hurry up, I don't want to be out here for a half-hour, waiting." He stalked out of the room. Inuyasha sat up on his bed groggily.

"Fine…" He stated, clearly not one to get up when he doesn't want to. Then he remembered Kagome's smile and the thought of her being killed and jumped out of bed, rustling to get his clothes and his sword.

Ten minutes later, he ran quietly out of the room and saw Sesshoumaru standing at the other end of the hall. There was an unconscious guard beside him, and Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at the demon.

"He began questioning me." Sesshoumaru stated simply in reply. Inuyasha nodded in understanding and followed his half-brother down the castle hallways.

* * *

Within the hour, the two demons were out of the palace grounds and in the surrounding forest, racing towards the human castle with every ounce of speed they had. Sesshoumaru had to stop several times because Inuyasha was falling behind, but in the end they reached their destination rather quickly.

"Stop." Sesshoumaru halted and motioned for Inuyasha to stop. Inuyasha obeyed, looking through the brush at the mortal's castle looming ahead. "If we go any further without a plan, their sentries will spot us."

"Can't we take them out?"

Sesshoumaru shook his head. "Use your mind, Inuyasha. Just think about what would happen if someone saw us kill them, or if they sounded the alarm before we got to them. They would scramble, and then we'd be forced to use extra energy to kill them all, and Kagome might get caught in all of it. You don't want that, do you?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "No…"

"No. And, remember that the humans are still hunting you. If you walk in there, they'll have a field day." Sesshoumaru pointed out.

"Oh yeah." Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. "So, how _do_ we get in then?"

"Stealth, Inuyasha. Stealth. We sneak in under disguise and kidnap her so no one's the wiser."

Inuyasha folded his arms. "How're we going to do that!"

Sesshoumaru pushed him into a bush and put a finger to his mouth before running towards an imaginary something. A second later he came back with a full soldier uniform. Inuyasha blinked and brushed himself off.

"Where's mine?" He asked, studying the uniform.

"What part of, 'the humans are still hunting you. If you walk in there, they'll have a field day.' Did you _not_ understand?" Sesshoumaru quickly stripped his clothes, getting into the human's uniform with ease. "You stay here. Give me fifteen minutes to grab her and get out. I'll meet you back here."

Inuyasha shot daggers at his brother and frowned.

"Be warned, Inuyasha, if you move or let yourself be seen, it might cost you your life, and I won't come in to rescue you this time." Sesshoumaru left him with that thought.

Sesshoumaru nodded to a mortal as he waltzed into the human's castle. _Idiots. Can't even tell when the enemy comes in your own fort._ He thought, sniffing the air for Kagome's scent. He faintly remembered what she smelt like from when he was rescuing Inuyasha, and he went on that. He decided that she was on the second floor, third window. He was about to jump to it before deciding that it was not good to jump two stories in a castle full of useless mortals.

_Fine. I'll take the stairs._ He thought rebelliously, stalking to the stairs inside the castle. Quickly he climbed the stairs and walked casually to the third door. He was about to open it when a voice spoke up.

"What're you doing, Mr.?" The high-pitched voice asked.

"Uh…" Sesshoumaru turned around to see a small girl, no older then eight, standing there expectantly. "I'm going to visit Lady Kagome…"

"Oh!" The girl squealed. "How fun! By the way, I'm Rin!"

"Uh, hello Rin…" Sesshoumaru turned back away from Rin towards Kagome's door. He expected the girl's presence to fade, but it didn't. He scowled and let go of the doorknob. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"You're not from around here, are you?" Rin asked curiously.

Sesshoumaru stiffened. Could it be that this little girl had him figured out? "No…"

"I thought not. What pretty face paint!" She cried. Sesshoumaru found it amazing that a little girl figured out what several adults could not. Humans really were clueless.

"Thank you. Now, I must go and fetch Kagome. Please be quiet for a moment." For emphasis he zipped his lips with a soft movement.

"Oh… Ok!" Rin copied the movement and smiled silently.

"Good. I'll be right back." He quietly opened the door and peeked inside. It was pitch black, but Sesshoumaru could easily see. He picked his way through the dirty clothes on the floor to the cot Kagome was sleeping on. He glanced at the sleeping form of Mrs. Higurashi and Sota before shrugging and slipping his hands under Kagome's back.

Kagome stirred and Sesshoumaru froze. It wouldn't do for her to wake up and sound the alarm. However, after a moment, she just turned around in his arms and fell back asleep. Sesshoumaru mentally sighed and continued to pick her up. The sleeping girl hung lifelessly in his arms, and he smirked and walked back outside.

Rin was still there, in the exact same spot, silent as the grave. He nodded to her and walked off. He stopped when he heard the quiet pitter-patter of footsteps behind him. Sesshoumaru turned around to see Rin still standing behind him. He shrugged and continued walking down the hall. Rin followed. Sesshoumaru scowled, glancing at the little girl. If she didn't leave him alone soon, he'd be forced to take her as well!

"Great. Just what I need…" He muttered silently. He frowned and turned around to look at Rin. However, just as he opened his mouth to speak, Rin spoke.

"Where're you taking Kagome?" She whispered.

"Uh…to a magical, far away place…!" He stated off the top of his head.

"Oh! Ok!" Rin smiled. "Take me with you!"

"Uh…" Sesshoumaru stuttered. "Fine." He agreed. He realized that once the castle noticed that Kagome was gone, she would be the one with the information on who took her. It was better just to take her as well.

"Yay!"

"Shhh!" Sesshoumaru said hurriedly. Rin nodded and Sesshoumaru leaned down. "Climb on my back and hold on tight, ok?"

"Ok!" Rin obeyed happily. Sesshoumaru sighed and glanced at Kagome. She continued to sleep soundly. _Lucky thing she's a heavy sleeper…_ He thought as he stood up and took off down the hallway.

"Wow, you're going really fast!" Rin said as Sesshoumaru raced out of the door and scaled the castle with a few easy jumps.

"Just don't let go." Sesshoumaru called back.

Rin nodded and clutched his neck tightly. If Sesshoumaru was a human, this action would have ended up choking him, but being a demon it had hardly any effect. Sesshoumaru reached the top of the castle after a few jumps and looked around. None of the humans had realized anything was out of the ordinary, and if things went as planned, they wouldn't realize it until both Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru were far away.

He looked around the castle, deciding which direction would be the best to take to get out of the humans' territory. He decided that the back of the castle was the best way to do that, being as the guards there were thin and far between. Sesshoumaru leapt into the air again and within minutes was in the trees running towards Inuyasha.

* * *

Inuyasha scowled. "Dammit! Where is that idiot!" He stood up and began to pace. Seconds later he stopped and looked around. A rustle in the trees told him something was closing in on him. _Great. More distractions…_

Sesshoumaru emerged through the brush. Inuyasha grinned fiercely and walked over to his brother.

"You got her!" He stated. Sesshoumaru nodded.

"Quiet, or you'll wake her up and she'll alert the mortals." He muttered, handing Inuyasha the sleeping girl. Inuyasha smiled as he took hold of her.

"Right. Let's go." The half-demon looked around at Sesshoumaru, who was currently reaching behind him. "What are you doing?"

"Rin." He stated simply, lifting the little girl off his back and holding her firmly. Rin smiled at Inuyasha, showing all of her teeth.

"Hi!" The girl whispered. Inuyasha blinked and looked back at his brother.

"What is _that_?" He demanded. Sesshoumaru shrugged.

"She wouldn't leave me alone, so I was forced to take her as well." Sesshoumaru turned his back on his brother and started running towards the demon castle. Inuyasha smirked and looked after him, knowing very well that Sesshoumaru could have easily killed the girl. _I wonder why he let her live. A soft spot, maybe? Well, if I mouth that, Sesshoumaru will try to kill me instead. Better keep quiet._ Inuyasha chuckled and took off after his brother.

* * *

Kagome stirred. _A bed… It's so soft. Wait, my cot isn't nearly this comfortable…_ Kagome blinked and opened her eyes. _What? This isn't where I went to sleep… _Kagome got out of bed and looked around the room. If it wasn't so early in the morning, she would be totally freaked out, but since she was still half asleep she hardly comprehended anything she saw.

"I wonder where I am?" She pondered aloud, walking to the door. Grabbing the cold metal handle, Kagome turned it and opened the door only to see a fierce looking demon standing right outside her room. Suddenly everything clicked into place and Kagome screamed bloody murder.

"Ahhh!" She slammed the door shut and ran back to the bed, panting. A little shaken up, Kagome reluctantly crawled over to the window, peeking over the edge. Her fears were confirmed when she noticed several demons, small and large, patrolling the grounds.

"Great. I went and let myself get captured…" Kagome sighed and went back to the bed, trying to hold back tears. "I didn't even get to say goodbye…"

"It's not the end of the world, Kagome." A gruff voice said from behind her. Kagome squeaked and whirred around. Inuyasha sat, legs folded, on the end table by her bed.

"Inuyasha!" She cried, lunging to the dog-demon, hanging onto him for dear life. To her, anything familiar should be embraced and held on to at a time like this. "Where am I?" She asked, reluctant to hear the answer she knew he would reply.

"You're in the demon castle."

Kagome flinched. Yep, that was the answer she was dreading. "How?" She croaked.

"Sesshoumaru and I picked you up last night."

"Kidnapped me is more like it!" Kagome released him and scurried to the far corner of the bed. Inuyasha frowned.

"We did not!" He insisted. "We just took you back here for your own safety!"

"_My safety_!" Kagome screeched. Inuyasha shuddered at her tone, ears drooping at the loud noise. "So, for _my_ _safety_ you KIDNAPPED me!"

"Damn, you're loud…" Inuyasha muttered, covering his ears.

"I HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO BE!" Kagome replied angrily. "I offer to help you escape my king's castle, and you _kidnap_ me in return! Gee, thanks!" Kagome shot daggers at Inuyasha. If looks could kill, the hanyou would be dead a thousand times over.

"It was for your own good, Kagome!" Inuyasha replied, just as fierce. Kagome rolled her eyes.

"I'm sure!" She scoffed. "See if I ever help a demon again…"

Inuyasha's frown deepened. "Fine!" He cried, moving to get up. "If you can't talk to me like a civilized person—"

"Civilized person! You're talking to me about being civilized! Look at you, you criminal!" Kagome folded her arms and turned her back at the hanyou. Inuyasha scowled and sat back down, taking a few deep breaths. When he was a bit calmer, he tried again.

"There's going to be a massive slaughter, Kagome. I had to get you out of there before you got killed." Inuyasha explained.

"I can take care of myself, thanks!" She paused, "Wait, massive slaughter?"

"Yes. In five days the demons are infiltrating the castle and attacking the humans. By King Seiji's orders every mortal is to be killed…" Inuyasha trailed off, noticing the look of sadness overtake Kagome.

"We have to stop him!" Kagome cried, jumping up. Inuyasha merely looked at her.

"Good luck. When Seiji is set on something, no one has the power to interfere."

"Arg!" Kagome scowled, "Fine! I'll go talk to him myself!" She ran to the door and flung it open. Inuyasha jumped up and closed it before Kagome could get out.

"Don't do that, you'll be killed on the spot!" Inuyasha grabbed her arms to stop her from leaving. Kagome struggled for a moment before sinking to the floor, her body shuddering with sobs.

"Kagome… Please, don't cry…" Inuyasha sat down next to the girl, desperately trying to comfort her. He hated it when a woman cried (Unfortunatley for him, they did it a lot.). Kagome buried her head in her knees, taking deep breaths to calm herself.

"They'll all be killed… They don't stand a chance… Not even a warning to the assault…" Kagome murmured, shaking. Inuyasha put his arm on her back and patted her comfortingly.

"I'm sorry…" He stated quietly.

Kagome continued muttering to herself, not even taking any notice of the hanyou beside her. Inuyasha caught snippets of 'Sango', 'Miroku', 'Sota', 'Kohaku', and 'Mother' before the girl broke out in another attacks of sobs.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha enveloped her in a hug, holding her close to his chest. Kagome looked up at him, her face tear stained.

"They'll be killed, Inuyasha!" She cried, "All of them! Mercilessly slaughtered by the demons!" Kagome buried her head in his shirt, trying to slow her sobs down. After a few minutes of Inuyasha stroking her head, Kagome stopped sobbing and sat there, hiccupping.

"Kagome, there's nothing I can do about it. I'm so sorry…" He stated. Kagome made no move, and he realized that she had cried herself to sleep. Reluctantly Inuyasha let her out of their awkward position and carried her to the bed.

"I'd better wait, she'll want someone to talk to when she wakes up." Inuyasha settled down on the bed and glanced at the sleeping girl. She seemed peaceful, lying there on the fluffy sheets of the king bed. However, Inuyasha knew that once she woke up she'd be just as distressed as she had been a few minutes ago.

* * *

About two hours later, Kagome stirred and opened her eyes. She looked around as the memories came flushing back. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she wiped them dry, forcing her sadness back. Taking deep breaths, Kagome realized that Inuyasha wasn't around.

"Where could he have gotten too?" Kagome sighed and opened the door, peering around the hallway. When it looked safe, she quietly slipped out of the room and began walking down the hallway. Suddenly a clawed hand grabbed her arm. Kagome gasped and instantly put a shield around herself, forcing the foreigner out.

"Hey!" Inuyasha cried, jumping away from the glowing miko.

"I had every right to do that, you know." Kagome pointed out.

"Yeah right. Besides, what did I ever do to you?" Inuyasha demanded.

Kagome opened her mouth to reply when Inuyasha cut her off. "On second thought, don't answer that. So, where were you going?"

Kagome folded her arms. "I was going to look for you."

"Uh huh. You were going to leave the safety of your room to look for me. Do you know how dangerous that is?" Inuyasha led her back into the room and closed the door. Kagome scowled.

"You're right, god forbid the _sunlight_ touches me!" She stated in mock horror. Inuyasha smirked.

"The sunlight you can handle. It's all the demons who will want to either kill you or mate with you that I'm worried about." Inuyasha stated, enjoying the look of terror on Kagome's face. "This room is off limits, and everyone knows it. However, if a demon sees you outside it, you're considered free game."

"Free game? Like an animal!" Kagome walked over to the window and looked down at the many demons below. "Don't you think I can take care of myself?"

"Sure I do. I just don't think you'd do so well five against one. Not all demons fight fair." Inuyasha stated. "But don't worry, I've just been talking to the queen. Luckily for you, she's a softie with me so it was pretty easy to explain the situation to her. She agreed to issue a warrant just for you."

"A warrant?" Kagome asked, confused.

Inuyasha sighed, "Yes. She basically said that she was going to make a new law where it is illegal for anyone to harm you or make you feel uncomfortable in any way. Once that law starts to take effect, you will be able to wander around the demon territory freely. Until then, you need to stay in this room. Got it?" Inuyasha demanded.

Kagome sighed. She didn't like being caged like an animal. "Fine." She looked out the window again.

"Oh, and I also told the cook to bring you some food. You must be hungry." Inuyasha grinned at the look of relief Kagome held when she turned around.

"Great!" Kagome smacked her lips and smiled. "When are they bringing it?"

"Whenever I tell them to."

"Tell them now!" The fierceness Kagome used almost scared Inuyasha. The hanyou took a step back and nodded.

"Uh, sure…" He said. "Let me go tell them, and in a few minutes they'll bring the food up. Open the door for them, and only them. Anyone else doesn't have authorization except for me. Got it?"

"Yeah, whatever." Kagome shrugged, and Inuyasha shook his head and walked out of the room.

* * *

A/N: Well? Well? What did you think? I'm really pleased at how this chapter turned out, just because of the mood swings Kagome goes through. Anyway, **I WON'T POST THE NEXT CHAPTER UNTIL I GET 65 REVIEWS!** Just for future reference... --;; Come on guys, REVIEW! Good things, bad things, just review so I know what you think! Thanks! 

fornwalt


	7. Adjusting In A New Life

A/N: Hi! Wow, 18 reviews in two days! GREAT JOB GUYS! Ok, here's the next chappie, much earlier than it should be posted, but I'm feeling very happy about the reviews. So, enjoy!

PS: I do not own inuyasha. Sorry.

* * *

**All's Fair In Love And War**

**Part 7 **

Kagome munched on her food happily. Although demons were cruel, unusual creatures, they did have good taste in food. She glanced out the window at the setting sun, and her mind flew to her family back at the castle.

_They must be panicking…_ She thought, frowning. _No, I can't think like that. Everything will be ok, I just have to keep a cool head._ She nodded and took another drink of water. Just as she was about to take another bite, a knock was heard at the door. Kagome frowned, remembering what Inuyasha said.

"Who is it?" Kagome hated the way her voice shook slightly.

There was no reply, but the doorknob jiggled. Kagome bit back a scream and looked around the room for something, anything, that she could use as a weapon. The door jiggled again just as she picked up a painting. At the very least it would stun the demon long enough for her to make a run for it.

The door jiggled one more time, and Kagome put the painting down. What was she afraid of? She had miko powers, and that would protect her! She cautiously walked to the door and slowly turned the knob, ready to put up a shield. Just as the door opened, Kagome braced herself and peeked around the wooden slab.

A little girl in a kimono stood there, beaming. Kagome opened the door fully and blinked.

"Who're you?" She asked, allowing the girl to come in her room. Quickly she shut the door and locked it again.

The small child turned around and grinned. "I'm Rin!" She exclaimed happily. "Lord Sesshoumaru told me you'd be here, and he was right! But Lord Sesshoumaru is always right!"

"Lord… Wait, Inuyasha's brother Sesshoumaru?" Kagome sat on the bed, watching as the girl climbed up as well.

"Yes! He took me here for a trip, and told me you were here too!"

"Wait, he took you from the human's castle?" Kagome was getting confused. Sesshoumaru didn't seem like the type to kidnap a human and just keep her here without a purpose.

"Uh huh!" Rin nodded fiercely. "He took me when he took you, Lady Kagome!"

"Just Kagome, no 'Lady'." Kagome corrected, lying on the comfy bed.

"Ok! Hey, Kagome, how do you like this place?" Rin blinked curiously at the miko.

"It's well enough. What about you, Rin?"

"I like it! Lord Sesshoumaru is nice to me, and he gave me a bedroom, and a nice bed, and even a little toad to watch me and play with me!" Rin clapped her hands.

"A little toad? Like, a demon?"

"Yeah, ok." Rin didn't know what a demon was yet. Kagome sighed.

"What about your parents? Won't they be worried?"

Rin frowned slightly. "My mommy and daddy died in a wolf raid in our village. No one wanted me, so I came to live at the palace." Rin explained.

"I'm so sorry, Rin. You know, my dad died when I was just a little girl. My brother hardly knew him, and—"

"Kagome!" A voice rang out and the door burst open. Kagome jumped at least a foot in the air, and when she got her heart at a normal rate again she saw Inuyasha holding Rin by the neck, threatening to strangle the girl. Kagome winced at the situation and thought quickly. Without a moment to lose she conjured up some prayer beads and put a simple spell on it. Then she threw it onto Inuyasha's neck and shouted, "Sit!"

Inuyasha fell to the ground instantly, letting Rin go. Kagome ignored his reaction and crawled across the bed to where the girl was gasping for breath. She engulfed the girl in a strong hug, glaring at the hanyou on the floor.

"Idiot! What was that for?" Kagome demanded, cuddling the small child.

Inuyasha slowly got up off the floor and shot daggers at the girl, "What the hell did you do to me?" He shouted, trying to pull off the prayer beads that circled his neck. Kagome shook her head.

"I put a simple subduing spell on you so that you wouldn't be able to _kill an innocent girl_." She said venomously. "What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that someone was trying to hurt you—"

"So you just strangled the person responsible? Do you honestly think that I'd just _let_ some demon come in here and try to hurt me? Do you think I'm that helpless?" Kagome questioned. Inuyasha stopped, and slowly shook his head.

"No…"

"No. So why would you try to kill Rin?" Kagome glared. "She's your brothers friend, and I have a feeling Sesshoumaru wouldn't take to kindly to it if you hurt her!" Kagome squeezed the little girl in her grasp, taking deep breaths to calm herself.

Inuyasha blinked. "Sesshoumaru? That's the girl Sesshoumaru took when he got you?"

Kagome nodded. "Yes, and she is keeping me company. At least, she _was_ until you tried to kill her." Inuyasha scowled.

"Sorry, all right? Just give me a break, would ya?"

Kagome sighed. "Fine. If Rin forgives you, we'll forget this ever happened. Ok?"

Inuyasha folded his arms. "Fine." He stated. Rin popped her head up out of Kagome's arms and stared with big eyes at Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha, say you're sorry." Kagome ordered. Inuyasha glanced at the girl before turning to stare at the ceiling.

"Sorry." He mumbled. Kagome was about to ask him to speak up when Rin beamed.

"It's ok, doggy-man!" She stated, just as bubbly as before. Kagome stared in disbelief at her before smirking.

"Fine, we'll forget this whole incident. _Doggy-man_." Kagome finished mockingly. Inuyasha shot daggers at her and frowned. Kagome stood up and set Rin down on the floor. "Go back to your little toad friend, ok? Inuyasha and I need to talk."

Rin nodded fiercely. "Ok!" She waved at the two people and skipped out of the room. Kagome smiled and closed the open door before turning towards the hanyou.

"It's great how young, pure kids can _forgive and forget_, huh?" She glared at him and walked to the window.

"Hey, I thought you were going to _forgive and forget_ as well, hmm?" He walked over behind her.

"Forgive and forget what?" Kagome grinned and rested her arms on the windowsill. Inuyasha thought for a moment, trying to figure out the girl in front of him. He shook his head.

"You know, there was a reason I came in here!" He exclaimed suddenly.

"Oh really? And what might that be?" Kagome turned around.

Inuyasha opened his mouth to speak, paused, and closed it again. "I don't remember anymore…" He said hesitantly. Kagome laughed.

"Well, then it must not have been important." She went back to gazing out the window. Inuyasha glanced at her, realizing how longingly she looked at the ground below. As always, it was littered with demons.

"How have you been fairing, Kags?" Inuyasha peered at her.

"Kags? Is that my new nickname now?" She sighed and turned to face the demon. "I've been alright, _Inu_."

He chuckled and sat on the bed. "Ok, Kagome then."

"Well, I don't really care. I've had people call me worse things." She shuddered at the thought of the nickname her uncle gave her. "Call me Kags if you want."

"Hmm. Hey, would you like to go outside?" He asked. Kagome's eyes lit up.

"Really?" Then her eyes darkened a bit. "I thought you said I wasn't allowed to leave the room."

"Well, I'll be with you. Come on, I know you want to get out." He stood up. Kagome jumped up as well, even beat him to the door.

"Great! Let's go!"

* * *

Kagome watched in awe as Inuyasha showed her around the demon territory. She noted how many different kinds of demons were there, and how most of them glanced at her when she walked by. None of them seemed to be a threat though.

"Hey, Kagome, don't wander off. If a demon finds you alone out here, it's not going to be easy to fend him off." Inuyasha said after noticing Kagome wandering off in fascination. She came back to him instantly, then frowned.

"Do… Do you think we could go to the human castle?" She asked, almost timidly. Inuyasha blinked, taken aback.

"Uh…" He knew Kagome must be terribly homesick, and that she was very depressed right now because of the demon attack about to take place. Still, if he took her there, there was the chance that she would get taken away from him, and he would be captured and killed. However, when he looked in her eyes, so full of hope, he couldn't resist.

"Alright. Let's go." He allowed her to mount his back and he easily jumped the tall wall into the surrounding forest.

"Thank you, Inuyasha!" Kagome squeezed his neck tightly, happy to at least be able to _see_ her home.

"You're welcome." He said gruffly.

* * *

"My daughter is _missing_, Rei!" Yumiko cried, pounding the table in the war room. Several of the other officers glanced warily at her as she began to glow a dull pink. Rei sighed.

"Yes, Yumiko. I know. We're doing everything in out power to get her back." He said in a tired voice.

It had been about two days since Kagome had been captured, and the whole castle was on alert. Sentries surrounded the castle, while everyone inside was preparing for another battle. Miroku was training the mikos extra hard, because they were key to winning the war. Sango and Kohaku were frantic, trying to think of any reason Kagome would run away, or anyone who might kidnap her. They came up with nothing. Sota was just as worried as everyone else, but he took it out by practicing every waking hour so he would be in top shape when the next fight rolled around.

Yumiko was in the worst shape, near the point of insanity. Everyone was pitching in so she wouldn't have such a big workload, but it hardly helped. She kept insisting that it was the demons who took her, but the king argued that there was no evidence that they took her. "Even if they did," He had said, "It would be foolish to risk the soldiers lives to ambush the demon fortress when there's the possibility that she won't be there." Yumiko had been furious, refusing to speak to the king unless absolutely necessary. Unfortunately, it was necessary today.

King Rei sighed again. "We're looking for her, Yumiko. I'm doing everything in my power to locate her." He restated.

Yumiko frowned. "Until she's back home, I still think you could be doing more."

"Didn't another girl get kidnapped too?" A lower rank officer asked.

"Yeah, a little girl by the name of Rin disappeared. She had no family, and she just wandered around the castle aimlessly. I don't think many people even realized she was gone." Miroku spoke up for the first time. Rei nodded.

"Kagome's not the only one gone, so it proves that she couldn't have run away. She wouldn't have taken a little girl with her as well."

"Kagome wouldn't have run away at all!" Yumiko yelled, enraged. Rei looked at her sympathetically.

"All right, people. This meeting's drug out long enough. Let's meet again tomorrow at this time." King Rei stood up, signalizing the meetings end. Everybody sighed in relief and stood up, shuffling to the door. Miroku sighed, walking over to Yumiko.

"Lady Yumiko, I'm going onto sentry duty right now. If I see any head or tails of Kagome, I'll be sure to inform you." He winked at her and walked out. Yumiko gave him a grateful smile and turned to King Rei, who was the last person in the room.

"Rei, I'm disappointed in you. I'd think that you of all people would want to find your _daughter_." She scowled.

"Daughter… Are you accepting my marriage proposal?" He grinned. Yumiko shook her head.

"I won't do _anything_ with you until Kagome is found. Is that clear?" She glared at him. He nodded quickly.

"We'll find her as soon as possible, Yumiko dear." He moved to kiss her, but she walked out of the room angrily. Rei sighed and walked out as well.

* * *

Miroku shook his head, walking beside Sango. For once, he didn't try to grope her, for she was distressed about Kagome and he didn't want to push her in the wrong direction. Sango sighed.

"I wish Kagome was here. Then we would be a lot better off…" She looked longingly at the trees.

"I believe we all wish that, Sango." Miroku answered.

Off in the distance, Inuyasha's ears twitched. "Kagome, we should go." He left out the bit that someone a little ways away had mentioned her name.

"Why?" Kagome stared sadly at the castle that used to be her temporary home. "Can't we stay just a little longer?"

Inuyasha hesitated. If sentries were searching the perimeter, it wasn't a good idea to allow them to come right up to Kagome. But, her voice sounded so depressed, he just couldn't bear the thought of ripping her away from the only thing that gave her hope. Even if he wanted to return her to the castle, he knew he couldn't because she had seen the whole demon fortress. If she spilled about their weaknesses or something he would be in huge trouble, not to mention the war would take a turn for the worst.

"All right, just a little longer." He said, looking around nervously.

* * *

Sango blinked. "Shh. Miroku, did you hear that?" She whispered.

"What?" Miroku muttered back.

"It sounded like a twig snapping. Let's check it out." She led him towards where she had heard the sound. Miroku frowned and followed.

* * *

Inuyasha growled. "Kagome, we have to leave _now_." He tugged her arm. Kagome reluctantly tore her gaze away from the castle.

"Huh? Why?" She asked.

"No reason, just get on." He bent down, but Kagome took her sweet time getting on. However, just as Inuyasha was about to shoot off, Miroku and Sango burst through the brush.

"Kagome!" Sango ran up and snatched her friend off Inuyasha's back. Miroku stood in front of the two girls protectively.

"Sango! Miroku!" Kagome said, tears streaming down her face as she hugged her best friend happily.

"Stay where you are, Inuyasha, unless you want me to suck you into a void you'll never get out of." Miroku fingered the prayer beads around his wrist. Inuyasha bit his lip and glanced at Kagome.

"Miroku, stop it!" Kagome ran up to the monk. Miroku never took his eyes off Inuyasha.

"Kagome, don't interfere. I'll take care of this for you." He said. Kagome frowned and ran to Inuyasha.

"Put your hand down, Miroku." She said seriously. Miroku hesitated, then obeyed. "Listen, guys. I know this is stupid, but just hear me out."

"Inuyasha was the one that kidnapped you!" Sango cried. Kagome nodded.

"Yes, but hold on, all right! Inuyasha kidnapped me, but he also protected me when the demons thought of killing me. He's taken great care of me, and he was nice enough to take me back here to see the castle. Don't tell anyone about this, please!"

"Kagome, you've been the main discussion point since you were kidnapped! Your mother's frantic, no one knows where you are, and Sota and Kohaku are really worried!" Sango objected, "You have to come back with us!"

Inuyasha stepped forward. "She can't." He said.

"You have no say in the matter, Inuyasha!" Sango snarled before turning back to Kagome. "Come back with us, Kagome! It'll make everything better!"

"I … I can't." Kagome said sadly. "I'd love to, but I've seen too much. Listen, guys, the –" Inuyasha put a hand over her mouth to muffle her voice.

"Just forget you even saw us." He said, letting her mouth go. "It'll be for the best."

Tears welled up in Kagome's eyes again. "Inuyasha, can't I tell them, so they can at least warn my mother and Sota?"

"I'm sorry, Kagome, but there's the chance that they'll tell your King, and if they do that it'll be all over." Inuyasha explained. Miroku and Sango glanced gravely at each other.

"I know, but I want my mother and brother to know, at least!" Kagome sobbed. Inuyasha wiped a tear away from her cheek.

"I'm sorry."

Miroku scowled. "Look at how unhappy Kagome is, Inuyasha! It's obvious you care for her, but did you even think of the consequences of being torn away from her family?"

Inuyasha frowned, "Be quiet, monk! You don't know her well enough to make judgement."

"But I do! We've been friends since I was a little kid, and I know her better then anyone!" Sango objected, crossing her arms. "It's obvious she is _not_ happy."

"Inuyasha's right, guys." Kagome sniffed. "I know I can't tell you why, but I can't go back. I'm sorry. Too much is at risk…"

Inuyasha took pity on her just then. Here was the strongest girl he had ever known, and she was breaking down in front of two of her friends. It just wasn't what she deserved.

"Kagome, what about if we meet them later, ok? When we can be sure no one's listening. Maybe we'll tell them then, all right?" He asked gently. Kagome smiled slightly.

"Ok. Thanks, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha turned back to Miroku and Sango. "Kagome's coming back with me right now, but if you meet me out here at midnight tonight, we'll talk, ok?"

Miroku nodded. "All right."

"However, if I catch a whiff of trouble, I won't even bring Kagome, so don't tell _anyone_ about it. Not even her mother, got it?" Inuyasha glared at them. Sango nodded.

"We won't tell a soul."

"Ok, then. We'll see you here at midnight." Kagome grinned and hugged Sango one last time. She smiled gratefully at Miroku, then mounted Inuyasha's back. "Good bye!" She called as the two of them took off into the forest.

* * *

A/N: Again, great job guys! I love all the reviews, it really pushes me to write more! So, let's set the limits a bit higher this time! How about... 90 reviews? Ok, 90 reviews! I won't post again until I get 90! Keep up the great work!  



	8. Author Note

**Author Note:  
**

Hi guys! Ok, I'm soooo sorry that I haven't updated in so long! I don't have a good excuse, like my grandmother died or I broke my finger or anything like that. My excuse is that I don't think that my writing is as good as it could be. Sorry... Anyway, **I've decided to take a break from fanfiction**. Sorry again, but I'm still going to do it. I have six pages of the next chapter, and I can post that if you want, but after that I won't post for a while. I'm going to start a new story with my own characters, not ones that I borrowed from someone else. I feel that this story will help improve my writing tecniques so when I do come back to fanfiction, the story will be better than ever. Sorry again... Review if you want the next chapter or if you want to comment on the note!

Thanks, and abientot!  
fornwalt


	9. Shippo and Koga

A/N: Hiya guys! Ok, like I said in the author note before, this will probably be the last time I get around to updating this story for a while. dodges flying vegetables and anything else readers might have in their hands at the moment I'm soooo sorry! I feel really bad, but when I reread when I wrote I realize that it really isn't that good...

I'm sorry for all of you out there who don't like the fact that I won't be updating for a while. I'm not saying I won't ever update, it just won't be for a long time... I can't send anyone chapters by email because I won't be writing any chapters for a while. However, if you want something written by me from an Inuyasha fanfic, I can send you a story I've been writing for a long time. I doubt it will ever make it onto and I may never finish it, but it's something. You can chose to request me to send it or not. (Please include your email address in the review if you want me to send it to you). Well, that's all, now onto the story!

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**All's Fair In Love And War**

**Part 8**

Kagome sighed and looked out the window. _It would be so nice to go outside on my own free will; I feel like a caged bird…_

"Kagome!" Inuyasha opened the door and bounded in. "Remember what I forgot this afternoon?"

Kagome cocked her head at the question. "Uh, no. You forgot about it, so you never told me, remember?"

"Oh yeah. Well, anyway, I figured out what I had to tell you!" Inuyasha beamed proudly, making his way over to the girl by the window.

"And that would be?"

"The queen just signed the law saying you're not to be touched. It will be effective immediately, and you'll be free to leave your room!" Inuyasha grinned.

"Really!" Kagome squealed. "That's great!"

Inuyasha held a pin out to her. "Here, wear this and everyone will know you're protected by royal law."

Kagome took the pin, studying it. It was small, no bigger than her thumb's fingernail. A simple yet fierce demon was embedded on it. "How will demons be able to see it? It's so small…"

Inuyasha closed his eyes and recited, "The pin is more advanced than it looks. It is able to create several high-sounding frequencies that don't damage a demon's ear, but rather warn it not to come close to the wearer of the pin. It is embedded with the royal crest, so if a demon does happen to avoid the sound being emitted from it, they will recognize the symbol and leave the person or demon in question alone." He grinned, "At least, that's what the queen told me."

"Hmm. Interesting." Kagome pinned it to her clothes and admired it for a moment. "Well, at least now I'll be able to walk outside!"

"Yep." Inuyasha folded his arms in satisfaction. Kagome stood up.

"Ok, let's go then!" She walked towards the door. Inuyasha blinked.

"What?"

Kagome sighed. "Let's go outside." She stated. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

"I can't. I'm supposed to go to the training room and train the new recruits."

"Oh. Well, then, I'll go alone." She picked up her bow and arrows, slinging the arrows over her shoulder.

Inuyasha frowned. "But Kagome…"

"You said this pin will protect me, right? Well, then I'll be fine. Go train the recruits, and I'll be wandering around outside."

"The pin will protect you, but I can't guarantee that it'll stop all the demons from trying to attack…"

Kagome shrugged, "I don't care. I have my bow and arrows, and I _am_ a miko. I'll be fine." She walked to the door again. "See you later!"

She was gone before Inuyasha could say another word.

* * *

Miroku hurried down the hallway, stopping in front of a plain brown door. Normally it was prohibited to have a soldier room inside the palace, but Yumiko had pulled some strings and gotten Sango and Kohaku a room very close to Kagome's room. Without knocking, he covered his eyes and opened it. "Sango, are you decent?"

Sango blinked as the monk walked blindly in, still covering his eyes. "I'm always decent, monk." She said sharply, returning to cleaning off her prized weapon.

Miroku smirked and uncovered his eyes, walking over to Sango. "Of course, Sango, my dear."

Sango blushed slightly. "What do you want, Miroku?"

"Want?" Miroku's eyes glazed over for a second. Sango noticed this and glared at him.

"Let me rephrase that. Is there any particular reason you're here?"

Miroku's eyes returned to normal and he sighed. "I've just been told that General Yumiko has accepted King Rei's marriage proposal."

"King Rei asked General Yumiko to marry him!" Sango exclaimed. Miroku nodded.

"It's old news, he must have asked her several times by now. Anyway, she apparently said yes, but she refused to do _anything_ until Kagome was located and retrieved."

Sango nodded, "Good."

"Bad." Miroku corrected. "King Rei has taken it upon himself to organize an army—"

"He already has an army." Sango stated. "I'm in it, remember?"

Miroku sighed. "He plans to make another army and combine it with this one. It will have _every_ able man in the country, as well as several strong women. It will be twice as big, and it will be organized extremely fast."

"What's he going to _do_ with an army that size?" Sango exclaimed.

"He plans to attack the demon's fortress as soon as the army arrives. He will kill every living being there until he finds Kagome." Miroku sat down on a chair, staring seriously at Sango.

"That's horrible!" Sango cried. "He'll end up killing hundreds of men for no reason! Kagome wouldn't want that!"

Miroku nodded, "Precisely. With the demons preparing to attack us, and us preparing to attack them, several lives will be needlessly killed. I tried to talk some sense into the king, but he's so head over heels in love he can't even think!"

"Miroku, there must be some way to resolve this!" Sango said.

"I know, but I can't think of anything right now. There appears to be no solution to stop this."

Sango fell into silence for a moment. "Maybe Kagome and Inuyasha will have an idea?"

"We can only hope they will." Miroku said gravely.

* * *

Kagome grinned and looked around. "Now I'll be able to explore even further! It was no fun with Inuyasha, because he wouldn't let me go anywhere." She thought for a moment. _That's not true, he took you all over._ She sighed and glanced at a group of demons who were eyeing her in interest. She edged away and turned to face the forest.

"It's so peaceful, the forest is…" She smiled and continued to gaze out at it. Suddenly there was a rustle in the brush, and out popped a demon. Kagome drew her bow, preparing to shoot, when she realized that the demon looked almost hurt. She put her arrow away and walked over to it.

It was a small thing, no bigger then a little dog. A fluffy tan tail popped out of it's clothes, and it's ears were pointed. It shuddered at Kagome came near it, backing away. Kagome got a look at it's big green eyes and smiled warmly. The eyes softened a bit, and it winced.

"Hold on, there. I won't hurt you. Come here." Kagome coaxed. The demon blinked and took a hesitant step forward; it's face paling as it walked. Kagome realized that there were scratches all over it's face, and that it was holding something tightly. "There we go. Come here, I'll help you."

"Who are you?" The demon squeaked. Kagome blinked in surprise.

"I'm Kagome. You're hurt, aren't you?"

The demon nodded, beginning to trust this girl. It walked the rest of the way to Kagome and fell into her arms, still clutching the bundle it held. Kagome closed her eyes and concentrated on pushing her power into the small demon before her. The cuts and scratches slowly disappeared, showing clean skin. Finally, when she was sure it was healed completely, she opened her eyes and smiled.

"Wow. That was really cool!" The demon exclaimed. Kagome let it out of her arms and nodded.

"Yeah. Now, what's your name?"

"Shippo." The demon answered. "I'm a fox demon!"

"Shippo." Kagome repeated, deciding that the demon was male. "Okay, Shippo. Why were you hurt, and where are your parents?"

Shippo frowned, "My parents died about a year ago. I've been on my own ever since."

"I'm so sorry." Kagome smiled warmly. "How would you like to come to my room, and we can finish asking or answering questions there."

Shippo debated this and nodded slowly, glancing behind him for a split second. "Oh no, he found me!" Shippo ran behind Kagome, who stood up, facing the woods.

"Who found you, Shippo?" Kagome raised her bow and arrow, ready to strike.

"Koga." Shippo peeked between Kagome's legs. Kagome could feel him shaking slightly as a larger demon, about the size of a normal human, burst through the brush.

"Where is he?" The demon called Koga demanded. "Ah, there!" He dove for Shippo, but Kagome put up a shield quickly. Koga fell to the floor quicker then someone could snap their fingers. Kagome lowered her shield and glared at the demon.

"Don't make me shoot you." She threatened, drawing her bow back further. Koga blinked and looked up at the girl.

"A girl?" He asked. "And who might you be?"

"My name's Kagome, not that it's any of your business." Kagome scowled. "What's your business with Shippo?"

"That little brat stole my dinner!" Koga spat. Kagome raised an eyebrow.

"Shippo, what did you steal that Koga was going to have for dinner?" Kagome didn't take her eyes off of the demon in front of her as Shippo jumped onto her shoulder and slowly undid the bundle he was holding.

"This. That evil demon was going to eat this defenseless little cat!" Shippo showed the small cat to Kagome, who lowered her bow.

"Ah, it's so cute!" She cried, grinning at the cat. It was a demon, but the only way to tell was that it had two tails instead of one. The demon was cream colored, and it had several black stripes randomly set around its body. A black diamond of fur sat proudly on its forehead.

Shippo nodded, "Yeah, and that demon was going to eat it!"

Kagome glared at Koga. "You wouldn't dare." She said slowly.

"I _was_, but I obviously can't now, can I?" Koga frowned. Kagome thought for a moment.

"Tell you what. If you promise to leave Shippo and the cat demon alone, I'll get you some food from the castle, okay?"

Koga's face lit up with interest. "Hmm. You can get food from the castle?" He peered closely at her. "You must be that girl dog-breath found and brought back. The one the queen passed a law for." He chuckled. "I should have known, what with that stupid device screaming at me to stay away."

Kagome nodded. "Yeah, that's me. Do we have a deal, then?"

Koga thought for a moment. "Fine. You know, you are really pretty. Hmm… Ok, then." He grinned, "That's decided. Kagome, you will be my mate!"

Kagome froze. "_Excuse me?_" She whispered.

"You will be my mate!" Koga exclaimed triumphantly. Shippo shook his head as Kagome narrowed her eyes.

"I will be _no_ such thing, Koga." She said angrily. "You can't just claim me as your mate!"

Koga frowned. "Fine. Mark my words, Kagome, you will be mine soon." He waved and walked off. Kagome swayed a bit, dazed.

"How confident he is…" She stuttered. Shippo nodded.

"Confident, arrogant, self-centered, stupid, the list goes on and on." He grinned, "Can you really get food from the palace?"

"Uh huh." Kagome nodded. "Do you want some?"

"Sure!" Shippo hugged the cat and clutched Kagome's clothes as she began walking to the castle.

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A/N: Well, I told you guys it would be short... Heh... Anyway, hope that will sustain you for a while. A really long while... pauses Wow. This will probably be the last author note I will write for a really long time... Dang... Hmm. Ok, then. To all of you who didn't like this chapter, sorry. To all of you who are mad at me for not writing anymore, Try to write yourselves. There's nothing stopping you from making a fanfiction all your own! To all of you who understand and/or are already writing stories, good for you! Writing is such a fun way to express yourself. 

Also, know that there is still another story you can read, and it's in my computer. Email me and i'll send it to you! (see above author note if you didn't read it already)

Abientot! Till next time!

fornwalt


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